Mark My Words

Elizabeth Sher: MARK MY WORKS - Oct. 21, 2022 - Nov. 26, 2022 at Mercury 20 Gallery, Oakland, CA

MARK MY WORDS began during the pandemic lockdown of 2020-2021, as I sheltered in place at the Russian River in Northern California. At a residency in New Zealand in 2008, I selected passages from a book of interviews titled Conversations with Artists and made drawings from the words of the text. Mark My Words serves as a continuation of that project; but instead of originating with a dialogue, the words in this series are the products of an inner monologue with myself. Six images include poems by Maw Shein Win

The phrases I selected would not leave my mind: like a song getting stuck in your head, they were persistent, even appearing in my dreams. To get them out of my head, I began to draw them on handmade paper using a bamboo pen. Concentrating intently on the form of each letter and spacing of each word, focusing on the shapes and interactions of the words-as-drawings,became a form of meditation. At the same time, I remained keenly aware of the content in each phrase. The shifts in meaning that emerged through the device of repetition – such “people amaze me / amaze me people”.

 The playful permutations of these words was fun. Yet in these frightening times their mantra-like repetition felt like protection against the danger and uncertainty of the pandemic. In the years following the lockdown, the phrases I selected began to address broader themes as well. I hope they will also offer viewers a shield of courage against any emergent threat and a path to peace of mind.

Contact Elizabeth liz1943@gmail.com to order a hardbound book of MARK MY WORDS