The Z Factor: The Hybrid Realms of Cheryl Gross An Artist Talk
Moderated by Steve Brodner Wednesday, June 11, 5:00PM - 7:00PM 5:00PM - Tour the exhibition 6:00PM - Artist Talk
In an age where biology and technology collide, Cheryl Gross’ work explores the boundaries between myth and reality. Do we turn to myth to understand the world around us, transforming the familiar into the extraordinary? In a shifting reality, can these myths offer insight, meaning, and control over forces beyond our comprehension?
Gross imagines a world where mythological creatures start to take physical form, driven by biotechnology and environmental change. From “The Umon Theory”—a speculative exploration of a new gender identity born from genetic mutations—to a crab whose exoskeleton absorbs a plastic bottle, Gross blurs the lines between organism and object, evolution and invention. These hybrids aren’t just fictional; they are already becoming part of our reality, reshaping both our environment and our DNA.
In The Z Factor, Gross challenges us to rethink the stories we tell about what is real, possible, and controllable. Her work invites us to confront a future where the boundaries between the natural world and technology dissolve, and where myth is not only imagined but increasingly becoming a tangible part of our existence.
Free with Registration. About the Artist:
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Cheryl Gross is an illustrator, painter, writer, and motion graphic artist living and working in the New York/New Jersey area. She is a professor at Pratt Institute. Cheryl received her MFA from Pratt Institute. Her work has appeared in numerous films, TV shows, publications, and graces the walls of many corporate and museum collections including Zebra Poetry Film Festival, Berlin, New York Times, 100 New York Painters, Schiffler Publishing, Riverside Museum, Riverside, Ca., USA, The Museum of The City of New York, Mississippi Museum of Art, The New York Times, and Artist-In-Residency, Kunstlerhaus, Saarbruken, Germany. Finalist Elizabeth Hulings Foundation, 2014, Artist-In-Residency Program, Dilsberg, Germany, 2015, 4- time recipient Eileen Kaminsky Family Foundation Artist Residency (ESKFF), Jersey City, 2018-2020.
About the Moderator:
Steve Brodner is a graphic artist. His work has appeared in most major publications in the United States. He has won most major awards in the graphic arts, including the Herblock Prize (2024). He is member of the Illustration Hall of Fame. He currently appears weekly in The Nation.
You can follow his work at stevebrodner.substack.com.
Exhibition curated by Kristin DeAngelis, Senior Director of Strategies & Operations, Mana Contemporary and designed by Kele McComsey, Director, Mana Contemporary. Photo Credit: Mike O'Shea.

Information Source: Mana Contemporary | eventbrite

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Time:	Jun 11, 2025 (UTC-5) ENDED
Location:	Mana Contemporary

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