Ruby Sky Stiler

This print by Ruby Sky Stiler presents what appear to be pieces of ancient Greek pottery, as if we are surveying the findings of an archaeological dig. The fragments are drawn in a style that emulates red- and black-figure Athenian vase painting—historical examples of which you can find on the museum’s fifth floor. From afar, Stiler’s designs exude the authority of ancient history, but this shifts as the viewer looks closer. Stiler explains, “You realize that they are essentially cartoons, made of contemporary art supplies, and are a mash up of centuries of images that span many different cultures. I hope that through this shift in perception the viewer can actively engage with the work through their changing relationship to it.”

–SM