ShowUp Presents Sima I. Schloss: On Empathy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 1st 2024, Boston – ShowUp is pleased to present Sima I. Schloss: On Empathy, a solo exhibition featuring the work of New York-based artist Sima Schloss. Her exhibition runs from May 3 - June 2, 2024. An opening reception will be held on Friday, May 3rd from 5 to 8 pm.

On Empathy is the artist’s first solo exhibition, and showcases a growing comfort with self-disclosure in the name of advocacy for neurodiversity. Neurodiversity identifies a range of ways in which individuals interact with the world that are not considered “neurotypical” including learning disabilities, ADD, ADHD, neuro processing disorders, and beyond. Schloss says of the exhibition, "On Empathy is about my journey of processing a myriad of emotions while learning to forgive both myself and others."

Through this exhibition, Schloss, who identifies as neurodivergent, seeks to access both her own experience and question others’ perceptions. Describing the show, she says, “[it] is about the human experience. My experience of loss, betrayal by others, yet being able to put myself in other people’s shoes, and letting go.” 

Internationally acclaimed artist and co-founder of Hilma’s Ghost, Dannielle Tegeder, says of Schloss’s work, “Sima's painting explores psychological aspects of neurodiversity through her personal experience. She explores the medium of drawing as a way to depict the incommunicable and explore different emotive states. Her self-portraits…speak to the power of art to open complex dialogues around mental health.” 

In seeking to foster empathy in herself for others, Schloss also encourages visitors to consider where they can have more empathy in their own lives.  The artist states, “My works, through their instability, intensity, use of the gaze, and unique forms of figuration offer viewers a chance to focus. They are both a self-portrait and a mirror for its audience.” 

A theme of isolation pervades, and likely will resonate - and possibly lead to empathy - in this age where loneliness has become an epidemic. With mixed media pieces large and small, the viewer is confronted again and again with fractured faces, quivering lines, and the questions her non-traditional portraits engender.

ShowUp Founder and Executive Director Christine O’Donnell states, “Schloss’s unique style provides the viewer with access to the psyche and viewpoint of the artist, as well as an invitation to consider and draw upon similarities they may find.”

On Empathy is on view at ShowUp from May 3rd to June 2nd, 2024, in conjunction with a parallel solo exhibition, Sightlines, featuring the work of Boston-based artist Elisa H. Hamilton. In addition to the opening reception on May 3rd, Schloss will offer a virtual artist talk in May. Details are forthcoming on ShowUp’s website. 

About the Artist

Sima I. Schloss (she/her) is a New York City native, artist and professor of art history. She developed her signature style of gestural figuration using mixed media and received her MFA in Painting at Lehman College. Her capstone exhibition debuted at Lehman College Art Gallery 2017 in the Bronx, which launched her professional art career into other solo and group exhibitions and art fairs across the US. 

She says of her work: “As an abstract artist working with gestural lines and portraiture, I am more interested in the internal life of the subject rather than the external. My mixed media work focuses on figures, and then I add layers using assemblage/collage from inspiration found in the many visual journals I have created over 25 years. 

The figures truly take on a life of their own as I build up the layers. The abstraction moves the portraits, which allows me to create imagined beings. Rather than representing realistic portraiture, I break down my own experiences as I go through the moments in each studio session.”

About ShowUp

ShowUp is a groundbreaking contemporary art exhibition, education, and community-building space, creating an innovative environment for underrepresented artists' voices and visions. 

Our mission is to

CONNECT artists to local communities and beyond

AMPLIFY artists and their voices 

PROVIDE artists tools for self-sufficiency 

EMPOWER artists and curators to experiment, learn, and have meaningful exchanges

Learn more on our website and Instagram.

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