”¨Mariana Sissia’s rigorous practice of intricately drawn rocks and earth was initially born of an interest in excavated sites. In this earlier work, quarries, trenches, subterranean canals and rock formations were isolated in the compositions, each executed precisely in graphite, evoking a variety of possible narratives and cognitive associations. From the rendering of specific landscapes, Sissia’s oeuvre has evolved into representations of what the artist refers to as “Mental Landscape,” which happens to be the title of her current exhibition. Sissia’s “mental landscapes” are inspired by the microscopic and telescopic—the kinds of perspectives we could never observe firsthand with the naked eye and that necessitate the use of one’s imagination to comprehend. Here, the Buenos Aires-based artist’s photorealist manner of picture-making has given way to a more abstracted and subjective realism. A 65-foot “mental landscape” drawing on rice paper is the centerpiece of the exhibition, suspended from the ceiling and draped across wooden rods throughout the space, the delicate airiness of its media belying the dense, craggy subject matter. While Sissia’s “landscapes” have indeed become intuitive, non-narrative, non-specific and less representational, the viewers truly contend with the work bodily and materially, resulting in an experience that feels quite physical and real. Sissia’s “Mental Landscape” can be viewed at The Mission March 13 – April 25, 2015.

-Robin Dluzen


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