Consumed with hidden and exposed structure, Mia Fabrizio’s investigation of physical construction, cultural paradigms and their relationship, originates from the framework most familiar to her; the house in which she grew up. Contradictions within this space sparked Fabrizio’s desire to highlight the fluidity of perceived binaries, particularly those relating to feminine and masculine, public and private and modern and traditional.
“Ascribing to the visual context of home as well as the ethos of homemade I paint, adhere, carve and chip away at plywood, drywall and paper. I vacillate between tearing apart and tenderly memorializing my personal experience, concurrently the work points outward to larger societal conversations around immigrant status, feminism, and queerness.” – MF
A Seat at the Table presents themes, materiality and processes related to Fabrizio’s overall body of work by honing in on one household item: The Chair.
Through re-creation and deconstruction, attention is aimed at the physical chair with a sharp focus on the idea of “a seat” and the broader definitions assigned to both. A Seat at the Table is a visual examination of occupying a space that grants power. Power to be seen, power to be heard and power to contribute to the framing of a society.
Within the individual pieces, construction and material choices subvert the basic understood function of a “seat” and reveal illusions of available space. These seats are invitations in name only, token representations. Other pieces reference historical context and the Western idea of upright posture relating to elevated position and appropriate behavior.
A Seat at the Table is meant to evoke discussion, so pull up a chair and take your place.
About the Artist
Mia Fabrizio was born and raised in Conshohocken, PA. She received her B.F.A from Tyler School of Art in 2002 and her M.Ed. from Arcadia University in 2006. She taught art in K-12 classrooms for a dozen years before graduating with her M.F.A. from The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University in 2020.
As an interdisciplinary artist, Fabrizio explores identity and social constructs through her mixed media paintings, sculptures and installations. She has been an artist in residence at Mass MoCA and a 2023 cohort member of The Philadelphia Residency. Fabrizio has received awards that include the Montague Travel Research Grant and the Museum Council Sculpture Prize. She served as Sculpture faculty at SMFA at Tufts University, at Maine College of Art & Design and currently teaches 3D design at Delaware County Community College. Fabrizio’s home and studio is in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.