Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, Mirror collects the vast body of prints made by Los Angeles-based artist Alison Saar (born 1956) over the past 35 years. Addressing issues of race, gender and spirituality, her lithographs, etchings and woodblock prints are evocations of the sculptures for which she is renowned. Saar undertakes printmaking with the same tangible approach to unconventional materials and methods found in her sculpture. Cast-off objects such as old chair backs and found ceiling tin become the foundations for etching or lithography plates. Carved wooden panels used for wood block prints echo similar techniques established in her hewn wooden forms. In addition to printing on paper, Saar also employs a variety of used fabrics like vintage handkerchiefs, old shop rags and antique sugar sacks that are layered, cut, sewn and collaged--empowering the content of the image while resisting the flat repetitive nature of the medium.