Sara Zak, “Cleave,” May 1 – June 11, 2021

Western New York multi-media artist Sara Zak presents Cleave, a collection of new work exploring the nature of the parent/child relationship and the impact of trauma on the individuals within that relationship. The word “cleave” means not only “to split or sever,” but also “to become strongly involved with or emotionally attached to.” This word, and its conflicting meanings, perfectly encapsulates the ambivalence present in the parent/child relationship. 

The tension between the longing for connection and the desire for separation are explored through a variety of media in this exhibition. Bubblegum Pop is a series of oil paintings that unfolds and isolates the act of bubble blowing. Across the eight canvases, the act of creating and destroying the bubble distorts the subject’s face in an endless loop. Recalling a game board, movement of pieces eating one another is filled with empty womb sculptures that reflect the mother/daughter relationship as well as the intense labor of the artist/mother. Red Light, Green Light is a stop-motion animation that shows the viewer a child experiencing a violent loss, but who continues to play. Finally, unable to process her trauma, the child climbs back into a mother she created by and for herself. Undone by each other is an interactive installation that juxtaposes the warm, nurturing nature of a womb with the cold interior of a Galaxy C-5 cargo hold military transport plane. The paintings, sculpture, video and installation included in Cleave all stem from the artist’s personal experiences being mothered and mothering while also shaped by the traumatic loss of her father at age six.

Sara M. Zak is a Western New York visual artist and educator who specializes in oil painting. Zak earned a BFA in Painting, BA in Art History, and MS in Multidisciplinary Studies (fine arts, English and education) from SUNY Buffalo State. She is currently completing her MFA in Fine Art at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Zak has exhibited throughout Western New York at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, Hallwalls, and Buffalo Arts Studio, among others. Her work is included in numerous private collections as well as the Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the Burchfield Penney Art Center.