Hands Across the Universe, 4 adult-sized mannequin hands, custom mount

Elizabeth Zvonar’s works frequently use isolated fingers, feet and eyes as well as references to high fashion to explore advertising and the body. The Canadian artist uses a vast array of media in her work, ranging from hand-cut collage to cast sculptures and found objects.

The Spectre, The Serpent, The Ghost, The Thing, aluminum-mounted photo print, gold-plated bronze cast high heel shoes, gold-plated bronze cast fingers

Zvonar often attempts to reduce the human body, particularly in the eyes of the viewer, to nothing but a series of disembodied parts. By relating these parts to physical objects, and often using them as such, she addresses the way the human body is sexualized and reduced by advertisements. In one work, she uses casts of feet in high-heeled shoes, topped with casts of her own fingers, to prop up a large two-dimensional work. In another, a suggestively glazed candy dish is nailed to the wall and rendered useless, referencing Marcel Duchamp’s ready-mades and Judy Chicago’s porcelain flowers.

I like Zvonar's approach to her work - despite the sometimes dark subject matter that she explores, a certain sense of humour always seems to shine through in her works. As such, I'm drawn to the exploration, rather than being put off. 

The Universe is Mental, digital inkjet print  of hand-cut collage