Emma E. Pesin (They/She/He), from Coney Island, NYC, works in the following mediums: Drawer/Designer/Video/
Performance/Installation

Pesin takes a psychological approach to social expectations on how we are expected to act, think and feel. Through metaphysical philosophy they mock and embrace the faults of what make us human. Building cynical cosmic layers of emotional intensity and repetition to tear off what at the surface is perceived as normal but underneath the facade is a cascade of grit and grime, exposing it to be uncanny & warped. Turning intrusive thoughts into a surreal reality that’s mocking and mimicking the illusion of what truly makes us human.

At sable Pesin did two things: Draw as much as humanly possible, and perform their funeral.

Pesin’s drawings sourced inspiration from previous sketchbooks + writings that they had brought and poetically staring long and hard into the distance pretending to be profound to “find the answer”. One may say they pondered the ponder. At the end they gave birth to many drawings of all shapes and sizes.

Pesin also revisited a previous body of work inspired by the phrase “Holding a funeral for my Ego Death” by hosting their funeral, LIVE! It was absurd, surreal, funny, upsetting, personal, weird…and at the very end it took a group effort to finish burying Pesin.

Fun fact: I buried myself alive 3 times while at Sable and held 6 moths/butterflies.

Photos by Jaelyn McFadden, Sable 2023 Photo/Video Intern