Biography:
Barbara Zeles, BFA Boston University, brings her experience as a dancer and Massage Therapist to inform the visceral quality of her work. Exhibitions include a recent solo show at Mount Ida College and drawings at the Bernard Toale Gallery. Group shows include Arthur Hill Gallery, Brandeis University, Art Complex Museum, Phillips Exeter Academy, and University of Pennsylvania. Barbara teaches drawing and sculpture at the Arlington Center for the Arts.

Artist Statement, April 2004:
I hold the copper wire in my lap, forming a loop of wire with my fingers, pulling the tail through one loop to form another, shifting the tangle around, my fingers searching out the next strand to pass under. It is a relief to stand and run my knife across the insulation on the electric wire. A sharp blade makes a fast pace as my arm extends back, away from my propped up spool, releasing the contractions of lap work.

I roll the tangled balls in hot glass, condensing, encasing, burning, charging, heightening, preserving, compressing, forming a clear cranium.

My fingertips have hardened, cracked skin protected by bandages. My heart is warmed by the repetition and my mind freed to wander. I think of lives being strung together, how loosely conversation intertwines, how easily it falls apart, how much we are alone.