Miranda Maher : Ephemeral Dialogues on Paper

Miranda Maher’s artistic journey is a profound exploration of discrepancies, mistakes, and the intricate web of lies that shape our perceptions. Maher delves into societal self-deceptions surrounding the discourses of violence, femininity, and our relationships with animals and nature. Working in series, components, or repetitions, Maher rejects the notion of encapsulating her complex thoughts and feelings in a singular artwork. Instead, she treats each series as an individual project. In her recent ink work, where marks sprawl across numerous pages, Maher seeks to comprehend consciousness, awareness, and the fleeting nature of a moment in time—a poignant reflection on the inexorable passage of time.

The artist’s creative process has recently focused on the profound act of making a mark on paper with ink. Maher ingeniously combines it with elements that transcend the immediate moment, integrating astronomical diagrams and 19th-century photographs. The result is a visually striking, intellectually stimulating body of work that invites viewers to contemplate the layers of meaning embedded within each piece.

In the “Wild Rivers” Series, the artist is charting Earth’s rivers in a vibrant and ornate manner. Brimming with personality, the artwork exudes a playful yet lively quality, leveraging humanity’s affection for all things glittering and enchanting. Beneath the whimsical surface, a profound connection to ancient cultures emerges, reflecting a deep-seated reverence for the sanctity of Earth’s waters.

“Visions Obscure my Vision” delves into the elusive nature of our perception. Our ability to see ourselves, the world, and the vast universe often seems just beyond our grasp. Within the collage series, the artist skillfully blends prints of the moon with dynamic, flowing shapes created by her own ink marks and vibrant cut-outs of Indian marble paper. These moons subtly retreat into the background, allowing the intricate structure of the image to assert their presence and unify the entire composition. The collages evoke the challenge of obtaining consistent clarity amid the cacophony of fears, hopes, and ever-shifting illusions that obscure our understanding of truth and reality.

In “Birds are Missing,” the artist employs photographs derived from an installation at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. This installation keenly focused on the human tendency to assign value to different species based on our subjective perceptions. The pigeons on these photographs transcend their individuality to represent all birds. Through skillful collage techniques, the artist introduces swirling elements from Indian Marble Paper and ink, portraying the birds in a state of crisis and peril. The title alludes to the alarming decline in bird populations, conveyed with an anxious and personal voice, eschewing dry data or statistics.

The “Infestations” Series explores the concept of infestation, challenging the human tendency to label certain species as vermin based on subjective judgments. Maher questions the human perspective that deems a species undesirable, obstructive, or lacking beauty. The series combines the artist’s meditative ink line-shapes with edited prints of predominantly birds of prey sourced from Audubon’s nineteenth-century catalog of American birds. The artwork invites viewers to consider whether either element could be perceived as an infestation of the other, highlighting the inherent bias in human perceptions and tendencies to categorize certain species as culprits.

“Earth’s Rivers Depart” explores the boundaries of diaphanous Chinese calligraphy paper, known as “Cicada Wing” paper. Employing ink and cut Indian Marble paper, the artist pushes the limits of this delicate material by painting the river in reverse on the back. The resulting artwork possesses a fragile yet impactful presence, with the very nature of their delicacy contributing to their artistic image. The title of the series introduces a fictional scenario: envisioning a world where the planet becomes so inhospitable to its waters that they decide to depart. This narrative raises poignant and timely questions about environmental degradation and human mismanagement.

Miranda Maher’s artistic journey spans over 25 years. She has exhibited throughout the US and internationally. Her work has been shown in such galleries and museums as Denise Bibro Fine Art, NYC; Wave Hill, NYC; The Urban Institute of Contemporary Art, MI; The Drawing Center, NYC; The Milwaukee Art Museum, WI; The Bronx Museum of Art, NYC; The Brooklyn Museum of Art, NYC; Kunstbunker, Nuremberg, Germany; Artetica, Rome, Italy; Staub (g*fzk!) Galerie, Zürich, Switzerland, among many others. Maher’s work can be found in many various collections such as Robert Schiffler Collection; Museum of Modern Art, NYC; The Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC; Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, IL; The Boston Museum, MA.