Erika Ceruzzi (1990) graduated from Cooper Union and is based in New York.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do. I was born and raised in the DC metro area. I try to be a fast learner, flexible. I like making things with others. I recently moved to Baltimore to produce an exhibition at Springsteen Gallery, with artist Alex Ito. In Baltimore I live and work at the Compound, on the east side of the city. There are alabaster shower rooms and a dj booth on scaffolding. We house the Alternative Press Center library. For the next three months I’ll be up in New York most of the time, as artist-in-residence at the Still House Group. I have two cubic zirconia hoops in my right ear and a tiny diamond in my left. I stay up late.
What is one of the bigger challenges you and/or other artists are struggling with these days and how do you see it developing? Too much image. I see it developing into just more images or a total wipe out of images, depending on how you feel.
How did your interest in art begin? Playing drums when I was 14. Natural rhythm feels like the first day of life drawing class and I blush really hard in front of an audience.
If you had to explain your work to a stranger, what would you say? I like making up words, referring to my work as “logo-rhythmic” textiles – or “en-contour” based projects. To a stranger I might say “Alphabet soup and spilled Kool-Aid on canvas in the sun.”
What materials do you use in your work and what is your process like? Materials and processes are pretty circumstantial. The exhibition space is where most of my ideas take form. For me, making art has a kind of immediate, temporal energy, and I embrace exposure to tools and techniques that are outside of my studio practice. For example, I was able to experiment with commercial embroidery and heat applied material when I had access to a sportswear marketing studio last winter. I was dying a lot of fabric when I had outdoor workspace in the summer. Recently, my practice takes place at the mall. I make part of my work there, where I’m able to use an embroidery machine at one of the stores. I have to work within mall hours, and I’m getting to know the employees. I stare at a lot of jerseys and bi-tonal color combinations.
What was the last exhibition you saw that stuck out to you? Sol Calero “SALSA” at Gillmeier Rech in September. I’m looking forward to the Pierre Huyghe show at LACMA.
What’s your favorite thing about your city?
NYC: Walking down the street while listening to something off White Material or Allergy Season, making eye contact, and riding my bike at night.
Baltimore: Flavor Studio but most of all the people ♡
If you hadn’t become an artist what do you think you’d be doing? I’d like to say I’d be producing instrumentals for rap music and r&b.
What is your snack/beverage of choice when working in your studio? Ginger blended with honey/National Bohemian/ice.
What are you listening to right now?
In order from light to dark:
Co La – Tuesday
Theo Parrish – Soul Control
Max Mcferren – Chinatown Club Jam 100 F
Karenn – live in the Boiler Room
