Ezra Scriven (b. 2003), is a Chicago based sculptor from Portland, Oregon. She is currently an undergraduate in the 2026 BFA Presidential Merit Program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work is published in the fourth edition of New Eyes, a zine curated by visual artist Desmond Wendt.
Upcoming group shows: "Basalt," Nov. 7-19 2025, SAIC Galleries 33 E. Washington St, Chicago, IL
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​Ezra's practice centers themes of body dysmorphia within confinements of material empathy: soft and hard, comfort and ache, to squish or to be squashed. Materials are not passive; they decidedly shape the human experience. She conceives the body not as an image, but as the corporeal. Ezra manifests these tensions through a range of mediums including silicone, concrete, latex, and mold making. Over the course of her oeuvre, Ezra’s forms have evolved from the illustrative-specific qualities of sculpture into a deeper analysis of a medium’s integrity—informing that intimate bond between artist and substance. Fat, skin, and physical structure are activated by personal experiences of aggressive weight fluctuation and the feminine perception. Her materials do not limit themselves to the flesh. They are in every aspect of an individual's reality, insulating the inner workings of our existence. Her sculptures exhibit this through ideations of abandoning childhood as a means of self-preservation. The process of mold making heightens the conceptual conditions involved in her work. Mother molds surround the soft flesh of the cast forming within walls of its solidified womb. A methodology that reflects feelings of protection and security, while addressing the fragility of a tangible future.