zuckerhosen
Elizabeth Leah Born + Mario Francois Isenmann
are an art and design collaboration between Elizabeth Leah Born and Mario Francois Isenmann, formed in January 2015. zuckerhosen makes authentic, one-of-a-kind functional sculpture, lighting, small objects, prints, textiles and other works of art.
Mario Francois Isenmann attended the Center for Creative Studies for his undergraduate studies and he received his MFA in Painting/Sculpture from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Elizabeth Leah Born received her BFA in Sculpture from Kansas City Art Institute and her MFA in Ceramics from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Each brings to zuckerhosen a comprehensive background in the making of art, its theory and its history - with a focus on blurring the line between the "fine" and the "functional" and emphasizing the art of utility.
The zuckerhosen practice is built from a series of self-imposed parameters for how materials can be worked and applied to create forms. These parameters are often established to challenge materials, for example gold and the perception of gold as a cheap and tacky symbol of wealth. zuckerhosen asks, How can a creative process restore gold to its spiritual origins of eternal luminance and permanence; no longer a signifier of wealth, but an usher of spirit? With this approach, zuckerhosen constantly seeks to expand the notion and potential of design to create immaculate, timeless works of functional art.
Since zuckerhosen's inception, their work has been featured in multiple exhibitions, including a solo exhibition in 2018 at NEXT:SPACE. Their work has been consistently commissioned for private collections and public permanent collections. zuckerhosen has been included in numerous publications nationally and abroad including France's Le Figaro, SURFACE and DWELL.
"Our work is consubstantial: an amorphic puddle of art, design, and craft that moves within, between, and outside of the historical/traditional templates of sculpture and the utilitarian." - Elizabeth Leah Born + Mario Francois Isenmann