Emerge Exhibition – Stephanie Mercado

Emerge is a series of collages by Los Angeles based artist Stephanie Mercado. The works in the exhibition are constructed from hand-carved hand-printed elements and colored papers that merge traditional printmaking with experimental practices, fine art and craft.

Mercado Stephanie Emerge Exhibition Installation Photo Hooks Epstein Galleries — Emerge Exhibition, Installation Photo, 2022

Emerge I, 2022, relief print collage, 14 x 14" - framed

Emerge Exhibition, Installation Photo, Hooks Epstein Galleries — Emerge Exhibition, Installation Photo, 2022

Professional, 2021, relief print collage, wood veneer, on Bridget Riley exhibition invitation,8 x 8" - paper size — Professional, 2021, relief print collage, wood veneer, on Bridget Riley exhibition invitation, 12-3/4 x 12-1/2" - framed, Private Collection

Untitled, 2022, relief print collage, 11 x 11" - paper size — Untitled, 2022, relief print collage, 14 x 14" - framed

Untitled (Knowledge, 2020, relief print collage, 12 x 9" - paper size — Untitled (Knowledge) 2020, relief print collage, 17 x 13" - framed

An artwork of the Los Angeles Forest constructed from paper and handmade prints — Emerge (Bear Hunt), 2022, relief print collage, 28-1/4 x 37" - framed

Emerge II, 2022, relief print collage 11 x 11" - paper size — Emerge II, 2022, relief print collage 14 x 14" - framed

Shapeshifter I, 2020, relief print collage, 15-3/4 x 13-1/4" - framed

Untitled (Olmec I), 2022, relief print collage, 11 x 11" - paper size, Stephanie Mercado — Untitled (Olmec I), 2022, relief print collage, 15-1/4 x 15-1/4" - framed

Shapeshifter II, 2022, relief print collage, 14 x 10" - paper size — Shapeshifter II, 2022, relief print collage, 18 x 14" framed, Private Collection

Untitled (Olmec II), 2022, relief print collage, 14 x 12-1/2" - paper size, Stephanie Mercado — Untitled (Olmec II), 2022, relief print collage, 17-3/4 x 16" - framed

Emerge II, 2022, relief print collage, 11 x 10" - paper size — Shapeshifter III, 2022, relief print collage, 15 x 13-3/4" - framed

Emerge III, 2022, relief print collage, 8-1/4 x 9-1/4" - paper size, Stephanie Mercado — Emerge III, 2022, relief print collage, 13 x 14-1/4" - framed

Corona Virus Dreams, 2021, relief print collage, 24 x 33" - paper size — Corona Virus Dreams, 2021, relief print collage, 29 x 38" - framed

Flourish (for Maggie), 2020, lithograph, Ed. 18, 30 x 22" - paper size

Stephanie Mercado Untitled (with Andrew Wyeth), 2020, relief print collage, 11-7/8 x 8-7/8" — Untitled (with Andrew Wyeth), 2020, relief print collage, 16-1/2 x 13-1/2 - framed

Flourish (for Julie), 2020, lithograph, Ed. 15, 30 x 22", published by Tamarind Institute of Lithography

Stephanie Mercado Untitled (with Weeping Woman), 2020, relief print collage, 11-7/8 x 8-7/8" — Untitled (with Weeping Woman), 2020, relief print collage, 15-1/2 x 12-1/4" - framed

Untitled III ( Blue Maid), 2020, relief print collage, 12-1/8 x 8-3/8" — Untitled III ( Blue Maid), 2020, relief print collage, 16-3/4 x 13" - framed

Stephanie Mercado Untitled (Red Maid, Purple Maid), 2020, relief print collage, 11-1/8 x 8-7/8" — Untitled (Red Maid, Purple Maid), 2020, relief print collage, 16-1/2 x 13-1/2" - framed

Mercado’s artwork explores feminist narratives, including women in the labor force, domestic life, and the persecution of women through witch hunts. We often shape our identities by the work that we do, and working conditions can either make or break us. The pandemic re-contextualized the role we each play in creating a functioning society. For many, especially women, blurred work-life boundaries led to mass resignations. Mercado’s artwork evaluates the psychological effects capitalism has on workers and follows the journey of a character that breaks through the mold, in a rediscovery of self.

Emerge is an act of resistance to the pandemic, by creating and manifesting art and magic, from destruction, pain, and loss. Emerge reclaims identity through alternate forms of knowledge and the natural world.

Explore the exhibition with a virtual tour

Download the exhibition catalog