Death & Donuts presents an emulation of the coming new age marked by humanity’s modification of earth’s environmental systems. Sculptors Heidi Zenisek and Michael Thron present works that probe the cyclical nature of human innovation and how the luxuries of post-industrial America thinly veneer life during climate change.

Informed by their roots in agricultural and maritime settings – environments significantly responsible for and impacted by climate change – Zenisek and Thron present the allegory of today. Their works present a darkly satirical perspective on the past, present, and future, from reflective surfaces and national symbols made of tar to dazzling light pieces.

About the artists

Heidi Zenisek is a sculptor from Iowa City, IA. Zenisek spent her formative years on a farm surrounded by dirt, cows, corn, and rust. This experience underlies her art’s focus on humanity’s ecological abuse and its relation to broader systems of power and subjugation. A self-described “artist as witness,” she questions notions of control, dominance, and stability within contemporary agriculture and land-use practices by working in the shadow of industrial farming. Zenisek has exhibited in galleries and sculpture parks throughout the U.S. and Scandinavia and participated in numerous residencies. She received a BFA in Sculpture from the University of Iowa and is completing an MFA at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Michael Thron was raised in post-industrial Stamford, CT. Thron investigates materiality, entropy, and negative space as material and tangible components. Born from gathering, manipulation, and replication processes, Thron’s sculptures analyze the real and imagined roots of personal and communal identity. Materials are sourced from industrial ruins to illustrate linkages between past and present as a commentary on contemporary America and our culture of overabundance. Thron’s work has appeared in galleries, sculpture parks, and other places throughout the United States and abroad. A recipient of multiple awards and residencies, Thron received a BFA from Syracuse University and is completing his MFA at the University of Maryland, College Park.