Exhibition OPENS: JANuaRY 14

Artist’s Statement:

Coming/Going is a union between my past, present, and future and the culmination of my creative pursuits thus far. Drawing upon my background in fibers and my recent captivation with painting, I have found ways to marry the two through visual pattern and and physical process. All the while, my textile practice continues to take shape through weaving, sculpture, and natural dyeing processes.

I am fascinated by the concept of art as communication. Through the creative work of our hands, artists can express how they view the world and their place in it. Coming/Going is just that for me. This large and varied body of work uses weaving, sewing, painting, and sculpture to take the viewer on a journey through my life. From the textural raffia to the organic curves made with paint and thread, the viewer will find many shapes, colors, and materials reminiscent of the coastal landscape in which I was raised. The use of pattern in my weavings serves as a meditation on the structure of my internal narrative. By harnessing and extracting color from the natural world, I imbue my work with properties specific to my physical surroundings.

Coming/Going is a physical and creative manifestation of my formative years spent on the Georgia coast, how the landscape influences me today, and how I see it shaping my future.

Eliza Bentz

Eliza Bentz is a multidisciplinary artist working with natural and repurposed materials. Raised on the barrier islands of Southeast Georgia, she grew up with a strong sense of place, which she infuses into her work. Coming from a family of artists, Eliza learned to cultivate her creative curiosity from a young age.

Eliza is motivated strongly by her desire to connect with and be a steward of the world around her. She employs the use of natural fibers exclusively and incorporates repurposed and found materials wherever possible. Eliza also works with natural color, extracting pigment from plants and rocks for use as dyes and paints. Being mindful about her environmental impact establishes a feeling of kinship between herself, her practice, and the earth, which informs the majority of her creative pursuits.

Eliza currently lives and works right here in Revolution Mill, breathing new life into the Mill’s rich textile history.