SKETCH/CUT/STITCH

RUTH RODRIGUEZ

CURATED BY SASHA LOUIS BUSH

SEPTEMBER 9 – OCTOBER 17, 2022

Opening Reception: Friday Sept. 9, 6 PM - 8 PM
Artists Talk Via Zoom: Sunday Oct. 2, 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

SKETCH/CUT/STITCH

Ruth Rodriguez
Curated By Sasha Louis Bush
September 9 – October 17, 2022
Empty Set Gallery
860 E 136th St. #10D, Bronx, NY, 10454

Empty Set Gallery is pleased to announce SKETCH/CUT/STITCH, a solo exhibition of work by Ruth Rodriguez, a Dominican American artist. Curated by Sasha Louis Bush, this show presents a series of digitally- and physically-made collages and wall-mounted tapestries by the artist. SKETCH/CUT/STITCH marks Rodriguez’s New York City debut.

Many of Ruth Rodriguez’s wall-mounted tapestries and digitally and physically made collaged works in SKETCH/CUT/STITCH begin with sketches in a notebook. After scanning these, she continues to work on them digitally, making adjustments on her iPad. Once a drawing is complete, it is printed digitally, often on inexpensive materials such as shower curtains and commercially produced fabrics purchased in Ruth Rodriguez’s neighborhood in the Bronx. The choice of material reflects the artists’ explicit awareness of labor, class and access to art – thinking through the availability of materials and who can purchase or own an artwork once it is complete.

With each wall-mounted tapestry and digitally and physically made collages in SKETCH/CUT/STITCH featuring a woman, alone or in groups of twos, threes and fours, Ruth Rodriguez honors her grandmother’s and mother’s labor. And, building on their ongoing intergenerational conversation, she offers a resplendent array of new stories with powerfully moving candor.