Allison Zuckerman (b. 1990, Harrisburg, PA) lives and works in New York.
Can you talk about the significance of colliding artistic styles within your work?
We live in an era of media saturation, where images and information bombard us constantly. My work seeks to capture and make sense of this hyper-image environment through a maximalist approach to art-making.
Pixelation plays a crucial role in my work, referencing the digital construction of images. Just as Pop Artists of the 1950s used Ben-Day dots from printed media, pixels serve as our contemporary building blocks for image creation. Additionally, I explore pixelation’s dual nature as a tool for censorship. By incorporating moments of pixelation into my figures and compositions, I highlight the arbitrary nature of censorship itself.
What drew you to incorporate collage?
During my undergraduate years at the University of Pennsylvania, I focused on tightly rendered, hyper-realistic portraits. However, it was during a summer residency at Yale-Norfolk before my senior year that I realized the limitations of this approach. Experimenting with collage –– cutting up and reassembling my paintings –– felt liberating. It allowed me to break free from subconscious artistic constraints. This practice continued into my graduate studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I also began to deconstruct and reinterpret art history through collage, aiming to reclaim and redefine narratives.
How does humor play a role in your work?
Playfulness and joy are fundamental aspects of my artistic practice. I believe these elements manifest visually in my paintings, offering a counterpoint to the complexity of the themes I explore.
What is your creative process in producing work?
My creative process is a continuous cycle of collecting imagery, sketching, and researching artists and historical contexts that resonate with my current focus.
In what way does your family and cultural background influence your art?
Recently, at Kravets Wehby Gallery in Chelsea, I presented a series titled “From Door to Door,” which celebrated Jewish heritage and history. This marked a significant departure as I had not previously integrated my personal background into my art. It proved to be a deeply gratifying and empowering experience, opening up new avenues of exploration within my practice.
Which female artists would you like to be in a group show with in the future?
Alice Neel, Njideka Crosby, and Mika Rottenberg
Is there an institutional collection that would be meaningful for you to be in?
I hope to have my work shown in the Jewish Museum in New York. This aspiration ties into my current body of work, which reclaims and transforms paintings once celebrated by the Third Reich regime into celebrations of Jewish contributions.
What part of the art ecosystem excites you the most for the future of your practice?
Recently, I had the opportunity to create a mural commissioned by TikTok, celebrating Jewish American heritage and history in Bushwick, just blocks away from my studio. The accessibility and community engagement of this project exemplify what excites me most: art that is alive, accessible, and integrated into everyday life.
