About the Artist
Emerging Chicago-Based Fine Arts Professional
Molly Einstein is a multidisciplinary artist who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she is expanding her practice in multimedia drawing, oil painting, and fiber arts. Einstein grew up in New York, and her work examines familiarity as a medium, as well as the sensory experiences of memory, sensuality, change, and womanhood. She often utilizes improvisational methods in order to bring the past into the present as a method to recreate tangible manifestations of the familiar, and to also explore how this relates to contemporary issues surrounding gender, sexuality, and agency. She is expected to graduate and be included in the BFA show in May of 2026.
Statement
My work delves into themes of familiarity, change, and dissociation; intertwined with sensuality, unease, and womanhood. I am deeply drawn to the sensory experiences of memory, and seek to explore how to locate and elicit an unconscious emotional reaction through figurative abstraction.
My practice frequently confronts the complexities of sexuality, examining its liberating and destructive contradictions through the abstraction of bodies and undergarments into structures. I often reference my childhood, striving to recreate physical manifestations of the familiar as a means to address the discomfort that emerges with evolving surroundings and the self. This juxtaposition of personal memory with contemporary issues invites viewers to engage with this sense of intimacy and tension.
I often find myself guided by material and formal decisions, allowing them to direct my next choice of color, gesture, and form. This instinctive approach bridges the old and familiar with the new and present. Evidence of this exchange exists in both my painting and drawing practices, and is further confirmed in my recent fiber-based work. Embracing improvisational quilt making reflects the same color and mark instincts present in my paintings. My fabric choices often echo the upholstery-like textures from my childhood home while recurring hues, such as murky, cold, and diluted blues persist in my paintings, reinforcing my urge to connect to the familiar.
My creative process is informed by both my artistic studies and my personal journey. I seek to create immersive experiences that resonate deeply with viewers, fostering a contemplative dialogue about identity, memory, and transformation. In this exploration, I ground myself in my work, and invite others to join me in navigating the complexities of personal and external existence.
