( about )

ARTIST STATEMENT

Emma Rhoads (b. 1996 in New York, NY) is an Brooklyn based artist with a background primarily in fashion design. After studying at Parsons School of Design, she's been working as a print designer within the menswear industry creating textiles, graphics and illustrations. Her affinity for the spaces where art and body intersect led her to create Mirrors of Magic, an evolving creative project in which the viewer is encouraged to not only engage with but become an integral part of the artwork itself. She investigates this concept not only through paintings but her passion for inclusivity and shared experiences such as installations in public spaces and live painting at events.

She references her print and textile background by creating abstractions and patterns from natural motifs, continuously asking, "How can the natural world inspire within us awe, empathy and fascination for each other, and for non-human forms of life? "Mirrors of Magic explores this question and her endless fascination with nature, interconnection and our ability to play with perspective through glass and mirror. She creates reflections that invite us to expand beyond our limited spectrum of vision into a world of interconnection, infinite perspectives and possibilities.

Our unique ways of seeing and individual translations of reality are shaped by the lens, filters and reflections through which we see and navigate the world around us. But can we reconsider our ideas of illusion and objectivity? How can we celebrate our inimitably unique ways of seeing as individuals while simultaneously challenging the malleability of our perception? Through opening our minds and transcending the boundaries of our perspective we begin to explore the intrinsic complexity of existence, entering a world of magic, play and wonder.

The moments that truly make life worth living are ones of kaleidoscopic iridescence; we create magic through these special moments of connection and creative collaboration with one another, where our perspectives intertwine, layer, overlap and reflect through each other to emit infinite new shades of possibility. How can we invite more of these experiences into our lives through art and connection?