© Marguerita Hagan, Life, shield details, Flora series, Ceramic, 3.5" x 12.5" x 13", 2021
March 17, 2021
Amie Potsic interviews Ana Vizcarra Rankin and Marguerita Hagan about their new exhibition, Biospheres, at Hot Bed Gallery in Philadelphia. The artists discuss how their work references science, the environment, and humanity's impact on our world.
About Biospheres
Biospheres is a collaborative exhibition by visual artists, Marguerita Hagan and Ana Vizcarra Rankin. Curated by James Oliver Gallery, Biospheres is a conversation about the extraordinary complexities of the known universe. Though each artist works within a different medium (drawings, paintings, mixed media, and ceramic sculptures), they each make art that seeks to visualize what has enabled life to thrive for eons. The dynamic spirit of their work gives a visual voice to the wonder, responsibility, and necessity of interconnected life. The artists are partnering with local organizations and charities in an effort to raise awareness around the environmental issues important to them. Biospheres is open by appointment and limited walk-ins from March 20 through April 24, 2021, with an opening reception on March 20 from 6-9 pm.
© Ana Vizcarra Rankin, Sleeping With The Tides, Mixed media on canvas, 8 x 8’, 2021
© Marguerita Hagan, Breath, shield detail, Flora series, Ceramic, 2.5" x 8.5" x 8.5"
© Ana Vizcarra Rankin, Lagoon Nebula, Oil on panel, 16 x 16”, 2018
About the Artists
Ana Vizcarra Rankin makes art about mapping, travel, and the phenomenology of being in and of the universe. Her work ranges from monumental canvases to delicate, diminutive works, and considers events that occur in subatomic spacetime all the way to global and cosmic perspectives. Born in Uruguay and raised in both South and North America, Rankin works and lives in Philadelphia.
Rankin received her MFA from Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and BA in art history from Temple University. She has exhibited extensively, and her work is held in numerous private and public collections, including the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Brandywine River Museum of Art, Uruguay Cultural Foundation for the Arts, Peoria Riverfront Museum, Brooklyn Art Library, and Print Council of Australia.
She participated in the first TrueQue Artist Residency in Ayampe Ecuador, was a Barnes Artist in Residence in Umbertide Italy, and is the founder of BrobDinGnag International, a curatorial incubator focused on diversity and inclusion.
Marguerita Hagan is a ceramic sculptor based in Philadelphia. She is an advocate for the thriving of all life in mutually sustainable communities and environments. The concept of interdependence plays throughout her sculpture, teaching, and community arts.
Throughout her career, Hagan has brought to light the beauty and engineering of our planet’s diverse ecosystems and our powerful role as stewards. At this climacteric time of change, her work focuses on the largest and essential element on earth, the ocean from its micro to macro scale. The intricate ceramic forms shine a light on the wonder and respect for the fragile, diverse life of the sea with which our lives are intrinsically linked. Hagan’s practice is an ongoing discovery, magnifying our awareness, reciprocal responsibility, and protection of each other and our planet.
About HOT•BED
Established in 2017, HOT•BED is a gallery and creative lifestyle space in Philadelphia that unites art, horticulture, and design. Founded by Bryan Hoffman, a design visionary, and James Oliver, an established gallerist, HOT•BED is a catalyst and a conduit for futures not yet realized. It’s a gathering place, not unlike the Paris Salons of the Nineteenth century, where visitors and artists alike have the opportunity to collaborate, exhibit, and explore new ideas in a welcoming and judgment-free environment. For more information, visit: https://www.hotbedphilly.com/