Alexandra Zizmor
Chicago-based artist Alexandra Zizmor creates contemporary portraits that explore themes of societal norms, identity, and gender. Her subjects range from family and friends to mythical heroes and villains, providing a rich and diverse narrative. Influenced by the stylistic elements of Pop Art, her paintings are characterized by flattened forms, saturated colors, and graphic lines.
For Zizmor, art serves as a powerful medium for storytelling and social critique. Her portraits, characterized by decorative mask-like visages with blank gazes, serve as metaphors for the performances each of us stage every day as individuals. Her work invites viewers to reflect on the social pressures that hinder the natural ebb and flow of human experience.
Zizmor’s artistic journey into art began in her twenties, sparked by a passion for collecting. Captivated by the art world, she pursued her studies at Christie’s Education, New York, earning an M.A. in Mondern Art Connoisseurship. Her experiences as both an observer and student inspired her transition to mixed media drawing. Her inaugural solo exhibition unfolded at the Derfner Judaica Museum in New York, receiving acclaim from The New Yorker. After a long hiatus, she reconnected with her creativity, focusing on portraiture. In 2022, her work was showcased at the ‘Art for Life Chicago’ exhibition at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart. Most recently, two pieces from her Chasing Beauty series will be featured in an upcoming book, the design of me, by the late Ron Kovach, former president of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Architecture and Design Society.
