Carolyn Swiszcz, Parking Lot Bonsai, 2023, watercolor monoprint, collage, monoprint on paper, un-stretched canvas, 40 x 51 in / 101.6 x 129.5 cm; courtesy of MIYAKO YOSHINAGA

Burgers & Bonsai opens on Friday, May 19 at MIYAKO YOSHINAGA and will be on view until June 30, 2023.
Opening reception, May 19, 6 – 8 pm.

The exhibition is composed of whimsical landscapes by Minnesota-based American artist Carolyn Swiszcz (b. 1972) based on her everyday observation of her surroundings and showcases a dozen of her small to large works on paper.

Carolyn Swiszcz is renowned for her uncanny, yet affectionate landscapes and building exteriors, employing a wide range of printmaking techniques, vibrant colors, and distinctive patterns. Swiszcz derives inspiration from quirky features of buildings, parks, signs and banners, window displays, and distinctive trees.

Swiszcz is fond of the sometimes-unpredictable nature of printmaking, meticulously devising the stencils, stamps, and monoprint processes that make her images pop with delightful surprises. In her images, Swiszcz blends layers of abstraction and randomness with figurative elements including letters and geometric patterns, creating a sense of otherworldliness. Her latest work revels in off-kilter multicultural elements in Midwest suburbia, i.e. her Parking Lot Bonsai (2023), which features neatly arranged silhouettes of miniature trees in a Burger King parking lot.

As part of the semiannual Madison Avenue Gallery Walk on Saturday, May 20, MIYAKO YOSHINAGA will present Artist Talk by Carolyn Swiszcz at 2 & 4 pm.