The past year has been rough, but there’s a silver lining to be had. If anything, the pandemic has taught us the importance of living in the here and now. It also taught us the importance of having fun, because let’s face it, being miserable serves no one.
We were recently reminded of the benefits of playtime through and Adam Frezza and Terri Chiao’s art. Known collectively as Chiaozza, the two treat art as their personal playground, experimenting with a range of mediums that include sculpture, installation, collage, design, and public art.
“We like to play together, experiment together, and use materials as the balls in the game, so to speak,” shared the couple in an interview with Matter of Hand. “Play means giving ourselves permission to do whatever we want and craft means the editors in us coming out and mediating the making process,” they explain. “But play and craft are in constant flux in our practice.”
According to Chiao, they use natural and synthetic materials, treating both as sources of inspirations. “The materials can be paint, paper, brush, string glue; anything we can guide together to make an image,” they note.
According to the duo, their projects are inspired by intersections of the natural and imagined worlds, highlighting the magic that can be found in the everyday. “We might agree that the spectrum of natural versus artificial is continuous,” says Chiao.
“A lot of the things that we’re attracted to come from the ‘man-made’ or ‘utilitarian’ world versus the ‘natural’ world. So they’re two descriptors that we use but they often flow into each other.”
Founded long before the pandemic, back in 2011, the couple have since exhibited their collaborative work in solo exhibitions in New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, in numerous group shows around the US, and in a variety of art and design venues internationally.
Follow their Instagram page for more oomph.
