Ebb Tide: Sculptures by Tasha Lewis

Event Description

Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens presents an exhibition of hand-sewn sculptures by artist Tasha Lewis.  Lewis’ latest series is comprised of busts, standing figures, and vessels that are made with plaster, wood and cardboard armatures wrapped in a textile skin, and many of the pieces are encrusted with beads, pearls and detailed embroidery and invite close inspection.

Lewis is fascinated by the way classical Greek sculptures have changed and corroded over the centuries, changing our idea of what fine art is with them.  Ebb Tide combines this attraction to artifacts with a desire to replicate objects, natural and human-made, that wash up on beaches.

These blended aesthetics make up Lewis’ recent body of work. Drawing parallels between the lost culture of Ancient Greece and the possible decline of America’s own cultural relevance, her sculptures and busts create an atmosphere of vulnerability, anxiety, and introspection. Ebb Tide reveals the beauty and decay of what is left behind when the metaphorical water has receded.

Tasha Lewis has exhibited her work in a plethora of galleries and museums, including a forthcoming exhibition at the Parthenon Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, and past shows at the Sarasota Art Center in Sarasota, Florida, and the Institute Library Gallery, in New Haven, Connecticut, and has work in numerous permanent collections across the United States. Her work has also been celebrated in various print and online publications, and has given presentations and hosted workshops in many high schools, colleges, and art centers.