Bryan Zanisnik
My practice addresses issues of aging, masculinity, the patriarchal family and Americana culture. Recent projects include When I Was a Child I Caught a Fleeting Glimpse, a live performance consisting of a 1,000-pound bale of crushed aluminum, my burnt body and my parents. For the 3 hour duration of the performance, my parents stood absolutely still and stared at my burnt body. The performance is meant to reference a tableau vivant, a theatrical arrangement of non-moving actors common in 19th century aristocratic France. Here, the actors are my parents, and the use of their bodies creates a psychological portrait that explores death, time’s passing, and the overabundance of American consumer culture.
Bryan Zanisnik was born in Union, New Jersey and currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He holds a B.A. from Drew University and in 2009 received his M.F.A. from Hunter College. Recent exhibitions include Sunday L.E.S., New York, NY; The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL; The Mucsarnok Kunsthalle, Budapest, Hungary; The Museum of Fine Arts, Tallahassee, FL; The Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, Peekskill, NY. Zanisnik’s work has been reviewed in the New York Times, Art in America, Artforum.com, ARTnews, Time Out New York, New York Magazine, Paper Magazine, and Tema Celeste, amongst others. In 2008 he attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, and in 2007 he was a resident at the Art Omi International Artists Residency.








