In Gentleness, Alexandra Cicorschi examines the caring thread of motherhood between three generations: her mother, herself, and her daughter. The works were initially inspired by geometric shapes the artist drew for her newborn, when her developing sight could only perceive bold, high contrast shapes. These connected the artist with her own mother’s decorative patterns in blue and black ink. In an imagined intergenerational collaboration, Cicorschi carved geometric shapes into her wood compositions, marking the physical absenceof her mother, who died by suicide in 2011.

For over a decade now, Cicorschi has been working primarily with repurposed wood, creating wall-hanging sculptural paintings out of many wood species. Her materials are sourced fromdiscarded household objects and construction materials, which she cuts into thin strips and then assembles into abstract, organic compositions

As a former printmaker, Cicorschi found that her wood compositions can be used as printing blocks. By inking and pressing her works onto paper, Cicorschi reflects on the imprints our parents leave on us and how identity, culture, and experience are carried through generations. The printed works on paper were completed during her recent artist residency at Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, California.

Gentleness hopes to create a space to openly speak about mental health and the stigma surrounding suicide. It is the artist’s wish that people like her mother can be remembered and honored for who they were as a person, and not only for how they chose to die. The artist has been in conversation with the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on how to guide her exhibition towards a hopeful, positive conversation.