Cristian Zaelzer
As a neuroscientist, educator, graphic designer, and artist, I deny the concept of specialization pushed by modern society. I use art-based graphic design, digital and analogic illustration, stained glass, acrylic painting, beadwork, digital photography, video, infrared cameras, poetry, and social commentary as my artistic tools.
The main subject of my art is nature, in a classical depiction of aesthetics and beauty, the limitations and interpretations of it by the scientific method, and the marvellous observations revealed by tools that behave as otherworldly senses. My work is political, exploring and criticizing the exclusion of those who do not fit social structures.
Art
Wisdom (2022)
Czech glass seedbeads (~4200), nylon thread, amaranth wood. 20 x 15 x 12 cm
$300
Wisdom does not belong to a particular nation, ethnic group, or religion. The belief that some exotic ancient cultures carry some knowledge that is pure and elevated is an over-romantic view. It looks desperately for something else on our species than the destructive predatory animals that we are. Put two groups of humans in discordance and see how long the wisdom holds. Put money in the pocket of an exotic culture, and let see how much the wisdom hold. Give power to the oppressed and let them see how long the alleged wisdom they have carried will stand.
Some individuals carry wisdom, but wisdom is a rare quality on the path of extinction. When you find wisdom, stick to it, and try to absorb it until nothing can make you change because you will be tempted to let it go.
If you carry true wisdom, you are going to die poor, powerless, and happy to the extent that no one else will comprehend. They will call you mad.
Homage to Frank Lloyd Wright (2022)
Stained glass, lead cane, zinc cane (35.5 x 42.5 cm)
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Frank Lloyd Wright has a long-lasting place in my heart. His prairie houses are a living testament to the fusion of modern architecture, landscape, and linearity. In this window, I wanted to explore a bit of those ideas to create an elegant portrait of four flowers growing to the sky in shades of pink and purple. I imagine the Canadian prairie blooming in Spring to the blue sky and the bright sun in a sweet and simple feeling of harmony and balance. Just like a Frank Lloyd Wright window.
Roses in the Snow (2013)
Stained Glass (Tiffany’s technique), glass, copper foil and lead. 51.5 x 31.5 cm.
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The roses are inspired by Scottish artist Margareth Macdonald Mackintosh (1864-1933). They stand in the middle of a soft snowfall (represented by the opalescent white glass), with the sun in the sky (an oval yellow piece in the up-left corner and the blue in the upright corner). Down, the water is represented by a deep blue piece in the low left corner and the ground by three brown pieces in the bottom. Nine roses stand the cold winter as a testament that even the darkest days will pass.
Under the Night, Under the Sun (2011)
Stained Glass (Tiffany’s techniques), copper, and lead. 72 x 49.5 cm
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This tree is under the sun and the moon in the same mixed colour sky. In red and yellowish colours, the day fuses to the night depicted on blues and purples. The colours mix under spirals to illustrate movement and interaction between both, which are just manifestations of the same space. The tree has been carefully constructed using three layers of glass to create the illusion of perspective and deepness. Its silhouette moves as the wind blows on it. The wind is one of my own symbols. I am compelled by it to move, to create and to express. I feel it as it were my father.
