Zio Ziegler Continues to Explore the Human Condition in His New Exhibit, “The Psyche’s Gestures”

“Two Sides of the Same Coin” by Zio Ziegler

San Francisco based artist Zio Ziegler (covered here) has an eclectic style; a few of his pieces portray Cubist figures, some more detailed than others, and then there are his more color-based paintings. His art is not cohesive, but rather reflects on his every day life’s emotions and moods which flow between feelings of self awareness and bliss. He very much lives in the moment. Ziegler’s current solo exhibition at Soze Gallery in Los Angeles, “The Psyche’s Gestures,” takes a look at these different sides of the psyche. For example, the rawer works, like “Two Sides of the Same Coin,” an abstracted reclining nude with splashes of color and bold strokes, embody confidence he may have been feeling that day. Decorative pieces, such as oil and acrylic painting “Collapsed Still Life,” were created at a time when he worked more meticulously. Through his experiences in graffiti, Ziegler has come to get to know other self taught artists whom he feels also value art for the sake of expression. It is their natural creativity that inspires him the most and appeals to his theme of the human condition. He continues to employ those elements and personal iconography here.

Zio Ziegler at Soze Gallery, on the opening night of “The Psyche’s Gestures.” Photo courtesy Soze Gallery.

In his show’s artist statement, Zielger writes this message to his viewers: “These are made as an attempt to reach towards the essence of karma and spirit, to provide an infinite through the window of an image. To serve as a starting place for thought, not as a search box towards the known. These are paintings that come from inward, and go outward, and will keep going for as long as humanity deems them necessary. They will carry your secrets, your projections, your ideas, your doubts and desires- this is the canvas as surrogate soul and memory. A piece of a mystery which cannot be solved, a nod to what we can never figure out, or plot and productize while keeping that which defines it alive. These paintings are yours, not mine.” “The Psyche’s Gestures” by Zio Ziegler is now on view at Soze Gallery through July 20th. Take a look at some photos from the exhibition below, courtesy of the gallery.