Inspired by the materiality of the natural landscape, Cadence Giersbach (b. 1966, New York, NY) creates abstract paintings and sculptures. Giersbach earned a BA from Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY); an MFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ); and attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (Skowhegan, ME). The artist has participated in exhibitions at P.S.122 Gallery (New York, NY); White Columns (New York, NY); Glyndor Gallery, Wave Hill (Bronx, NY); P.S.1 Center for Contemporary Art (Queens, NY); Museo Rufino Tamayo (Mexico City, Mexico); Brooklyn Museum of Art (Brooklyn, NY); Galerie Faurschou (Copenhagen, Denmark); Kunsthalle Nürnberg (Nürnberg, Germany); Roebling Hall (Brooklyn, NY); Venetia Kapernekas Fine Arts (New York, NY); Deitch Projects (New York, NY); among others.
She is a recipient of awards and fellowships, including a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Fellowship and a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Painting; and attended residencies at P.S.122 Studio Program; Virginia Center for the Creative Arts; MacDowell; Cité Internationale des Arts; and Nordisk Kunstnarsenter. Giersbach’s work has been commissioned by Arts for Transit, MTA (Brooklyn, NY); the Town of Montclair (Montclair, NJ); Percent for Art (Queens, NY); the Palladium Co. (West Palm Beach, FL) and is in the public collections of the Albright-Knox (Buffalo, NY); Harvard Business School (Boston, MA) and the RISD Museum, (Providence, RI).
Giersbach lives in New York, NY, and Sullivan County, NY.
"Drawing inspiration from my garden in upstate New York, I create painted paper-pulp sculptures and fabric paintings. I am fascinated by the world encapsulated in the small piece of earth surrounding my home—its textures, shapes, and gestures—and the sensations and memories it evokes. As I dig the soil, lift stones, and plant seeds, I am a participant and an observer, keenly aware of the shifting ecology around me. I combine abstract, symbolic, and figurative references to living things and geological formations with ancient archetypes like spirals, snakes, and stars to create layers of association and explore our complex relationship with the natural world. For instance, a series of sewn kite-shaped paintings alludes to the sensation of being grounded on the earth while looking upward, connected to the sky. Paintings are not stretched or primed, so their surfaces undulate, while the sculptures’ textures are rough and jagged, reminiscent of a mountain range, or smooth like a boulder. Paint often drips and flows like streams in the landscape. Color is heightened or used symbolically, and shapes are exaggerated to portray the garden as a place of memory, sensation, and thought. My intention is to animate the work and coax it into expressing the story it contains. With each piece, I strive to elicit visceral emotions that connect us to the earth and sky and inspire curiosity, empathy, and care. The garden is a metaphor for life’s beauty, intensity, and fragility."
Tell us a little about yourself (where you are from) and your background in the arts.
I spent most of my childhood in a small town in western Massachusetts, where I freely roamed the fields and forests. My family moved to New York City when I was a teenager, and I have lived mainly in New York ever since. The idea of the natural world as a place of loss and my wish to reconnect with that world has influenced my work over the past 25 years.
I studied art and philosophy at Vassar College, then attended Rutgers for an MFA, where I made drawings and drawing installations. After grad school, I went to Skowhegan, where I began using the computer to develop large-scale wall paintings and paintings on vinyl. I showed these in NYC, Europe, and Mexico. I taught painting and drawing for a few years, designed public art projects, and then took a break to raise my son.
About seven years ago, I bought a small building that was a country dance hall in the 1930s and 40s. I have a studio and live here part-time. When we first arrived, the yard was overgrown from neglect. I have been restoring the garden, which has given me great joy and an intimate relationship with plants and animals that recalls my childhood experiences. Gardening is akin to art making; it requires patience, understanding, creativity, and luck.
What kind of work are you currently making?
In recent months, I've been creating kite-shaped paintings to accompany the large sculptures I've been working on. I prefer to exhibit paintings and sculptures together and create an environment for the audience to move through. My kite-shaped paintings, which are painted and sewn, incorporate elements of kite design, quilt patterning, and natural images. They explore the connection between the sky and the earth, as well as themes of hope and loss.
What is a day like in the studio for you?
I usually go to the studio in the morning and continue working through the afternoon. However, in the country, I like to spend the morning in the garden before it gets too hot and then head to the studio in the afternoon. I often find inspiration for my art while walking or working in the garden. I love developing the work in my mind and seeing how precisely I can envision it before working in the studio. I dedicate my studio time to realizing the images I’ve worked out in my mind. I begin by making small sketches and drawings, then measure and assemble parts to paint, sew, or combine into sculptures or paintings. Sometimes, the work doesn’t go as planned, so I revise or start over until the thing in front of me manifests the original concept.
What are you looking at right now and/or reading?
Ancient art, especially pottery and sculpture, fascinate me because they express the natural world through abstraction and symbolism. In my recent work, I draw inspiration from American women’s quilt patterns and books on kite design. I love the diverse forms and colors found in stones, plants, and other living creatures, and I enjoy learning about the variety of life on our planet.
Two recent favorite books of mine are “An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us” by Ed Yong and “Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures” by Merlin Sheldrake. Women artists’ biographies are inspirational, and I have read many. Lately, I am enjoying Donna Dennis’s “Writing Towards Dawn.”
Where can we find more of your work? (ex. website/insta/gallery/upcoming shows)
Website: I just finished a few shows, including two solo projects at nonprofit spaces and sculptures for a dance performance. You can see images of those projects on my website and on instagram. For the rest of the summer and fall, I plan to refocus my energies in the studio and develop new work.
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