Carley Zarzeka builds found object sculptures and installations to investigate the standardization of construction materials in the United States and their relationship to the domestic space. Utilizing strategies of juxtapositions in assemblage that highlight lines, gravity and balance, Zarzeka calls attention to the objects’ material and formal qualities rather than their initial function. By intentionally sourcing genetic objects, her work simultaneously operates on both a universal and personal level. Her work has been exhibited at The Ackland Art Museum (NC), The Trout Gallery (PA), and The Cleve Carney Gallery (IL), amount others. Most recently, Zarzeka exhibited in 215/610 Contemporary, juried by Jean Shin and was awarded Second Place. Zarzeka received her MFA at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and was awarded Top MFA prize by Diego Cortez. She is currently a nomad, making work where she can find an open table, and attending residencies throughout the United States.
Carly continued to investigate domesticity and the standardization of object during her residency at Popps by physically weaving together found material. These objects are familiar but not necessarily personal and stem from her interest in the built architecture of living spaces as well as the psychological and cultural constructions of family. This allows her to construct a framework of time and place, creating an identity not of herself but the generic. She refrains from allowing the work to become biographical or specific; aiming for individualism that falters due to unconscious, generic consumerism.