Superbloom by Erin Adelman Rice

Our next gallery show is one that is near and dear to our hearts. We are proud to present Superbloom by Erin Adelman Rice. You may recognize Erin's work from our employee shows throughout the years. Erin has since left Rare Device, but we are so glad to welcome her back as our current gallery artist. 

Superbloom is a collection of hand-cut collages that removes commercial depictions of femininity from mid-twentieth century mainstream media and transports them into bright landscapes, unencumbered by expectations and allowed to blossom into themselves.

Show Dates: Friday, March 10th - Sunday, April 23rd

Reception: Friday, March 10th, 6-8pm

Artist Statement: The work that I create is a meditation on the role of femininity in the recent past and present while serving as a call for a shift in perspective. In juxtaposing images of idealized women with flowers from botanical guides, I seek to explore how capitalism has reinforced homogenized and unrealistic expectations of women of all kinds and in turn highlight the power and possibility of feminism, inclusion, and connection to the earth. The use of ample negative space keeps focus on the subject and metaphorically gives them room to breathe.

Formally, I aim to compose pieces that reveal the human process of artmaking and celebrate analog methods in the digital era. The tactile nature of archival material from the past century, and paper in general, grounds the viewing experience and adds a rich sense of texture absent on the screen. The act of conserving certain images from vintage print material while destroying the rest is a practice in acknowledging the value of cultural artifacts while simultaneously looking at the absurdity of prizing and hoarding mass produced media.

Artist Bio: Based in San Francisco, collage artist Erin Adelman Rice (she/they) creates hand-cut works composed of historical pop culture media and guidebooks of the natural world. Her art explores and critiques consumerist representations of gender, sexuality, and standards of beauty through curating images, removing context, and playing with composition and color. 

Erin was struck by the power of art to stir emotions and communicate meaning from a young age. She studied many forms of art-making in school, as well as art history and film studies, but did not believe at the time that art could be a viable path. Erin honed her collage practice over the years while working in restaurants but craved more of a focus on creativity, so she transitioned to serve as the Operations Manager at Rare Device, a sanctuary she regularly visited to be inspired. Getting to support working artists and having the opportunity to have her artwork in annual employee shows gave Erin the push to pursue art earnestly. She now works as both an artist and a professional organizer, her other lifelong creative pursuit

Read more about Erin in our studio visit blog post Piecing Together a Story with Collage Artist Erin Adelman Rice.