Erika Verzutti

Two eyes two mouths

Made in cast bronze, Two Eyes Two Mouths provokes a strong sense of fleshiness as if manipulated by the hand of the artist pushing her fingers into wet clay or plaster to create gouges that represent eyes, mouths and the female reproductive organ. Equally, there is a semblance of fruits—their succulence and fragility. While the work is sensual, the matte bronze surface refuses any expectation of softness. The sculpture was partly inspired by a viewing of a make-up tutorial, thus bringing into play an interest in make-up, disguise and the face as mask. Experimenting with the body, nature and our environment, Verzutti examines the aesthetics of our society. Through her use of textures, color, contour, weight and consistencies, the artist references the mid-twentieth century Brazilian movement Neo-Concretism to locate the temptation of sensuality, the coldness of brutality and the image of flesh in the landscape and in society.