Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens Presents Ritual Of Self: Isaiah Zagar’s Self-Portraits On Paper

Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens Presents Ritual Of Self: Isaiah Zagar’s Self-Portraits On Paper

Though widely known for his large-scale public mosaics, Isaiah Zagar’s staggering collection of creations includes thousands of drawings, paintings, prints, and mixed-media works. Ritual of Self: Isaiah Zagar’s Self-Portraits on Paper is a revelatory selection of never-before-seen mixed-media artworks. Between 1976 and 1993, Zagar worked daily on his self-portrait series and produced over 2,400 works during that time. Boundlessly energetic, moody, and experimental, the series evolved into a ritualistic practice of storytelling. Treated as a diary, the pieces incorporate found objects, photography, handwritten text, folk art, stamps, textiles, and painting materials. This exhibition reveals a look into Zagar’s obsessive, introspective, vibrating world- one that would eventually evolve even further with his public mosaics in the 90’s through today.