Back in Action
After 23 years, Jonathan Ferrara returns to his artistic practice with Offerings. The New Orleans-based artist and co-owner of Ferrara Showman Gallery is showing over thirty new wall-mounted sculptures consisting of anywhere from five to 80 sets of the artist’s hands.
With co-owner Matthew Weldon Showman now overseeing daily operations, Jonathan has fully reengaged with his art. He developed a multi-step process that started with casting his hands in plaster then collaborated with the 3D printing lab at Tulane’s School of Architecture to render them in polylactate. The hands returned to the studio and were meticulously transformed back to the texture of actual hands through epoxy, paint, and varnish. Then, Jonathan arranged and mounted the hands into intricate mandala formations and floral “Blooms.”