Elise Ferguson American, b. 1964
Elise Ferguson's work centralizes the art of pattern to create graphic and dynamic compositional spaces. Using rhythmic motifs rendered through layers of screen-printed, pigmented plaster, she blurs the boundary between mechanical reproduction and artistic precision. Bold, carefully paired colors bring her work to life, while closer inspection of the textured surfaces gives her works a handmade, object-like body. At the crossroads of painting, sculpture, and printmaking, Ferguson's abstract creations celebrate purposeful imperfection. Her mark-making gestures evoke mathematical puzzles, alphabetic scripts, and geometric variations, interweaved with influences from clothing patterns, architectural embellishments, musical notations, and hieroglyphic writing. This results in artworks that evoke a tension between structured systems and disarray, balancing on the edge of refinement and spontaneity. Through a process-driven approach, Ferguson explores spatial dynamics and the malleable nature of optical perception.
Elise Ferguson (b. 1964, Richmond, VA) began her academic career by receiving her BFA at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1988. After enrolling at the University of Illinois at Chicago, she obtained her MFA in 1995. Ferguson has exhibited throughout the United States, most recently serving as the subject of a solo exhibition, East, at Halsey McKay Gallery. She has additionally been showcased at Romer Young Gallery in San Francisco, California, ODD ARK-LA in Los Angeles, CA, White Columns in New York, NY, and 57W57 Arts in New York, NY.
Her works are in the permanent collections of numerous private and public institutions, including the Progressive Art Collection, Mayfield, OH; The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH; Microsoft, Redmond, WA; Google, Mountain View, CA; the RISD Museum, Providence, RI; and SUNY Albany Museum, Albany, NY. In addition, Ferguson is the recipient of the Northern Trust Purchase Prize at EXPO CHICAGO (2014). She currently lives and works in Queens, NY.
