VERNITA NEMEC

Artist Statement

Vernita Nemec’s work transforms discarded plastic and other overlooked materials into sculptural objects that explore beauty, waste, and our relationship with the environment. Inspired by the Japanese tradition of wabi-sabi, she embraces the imperfections, fragmentation, and patina of discarded objects, finding unexpected beauty in materials designed to be thrown away.

Plastic has become Nemec’s primary material and a way to draw attention to the environmental consequences of excessive consumption. She distorts, paints, cuts, and assembles plastic packaging, produce containers, and other discarded objects into wall reliefs and sculptures that remain connected to their original forms while becoming something new.

Her Evil Plastic Blues and Plasticism works transform everyday plastic detritus into objects that are visually compelling while reminding viewers of their environmental origins. Her earlier Endless Junkmail Scroll, a 400-foot-long work made from discarded junk mail, similarly addressed the wastefulness of modern life.

For Nemec, art cannot solve the environmental crisis on its own, but it can make the problem visible. Through creative reuse and upcycling, her work encourages viewers to reconsider what they discard and to discover beauty in the materials that surround us.

Instagram: @ncognita

Biography

Vernita Nemec, also known as N’Cognita, is a New York-based visual and performance artist, curator, and arts organizer whose work explores waste, identity, language, and the transformation of discarded materials. Her current practice focuses on upcycled plastic, which she transforms into sculptural assemblages and wall reliefs.

Nemec began developing her interest in art made from discarded materials through her Art from Detritus exhibitions, which she conceived and curated in 1994. The project has been presented at numerous venues across the United States and has continued through exhibitions at Viridian Artists and other galleries.

Her current Evil Plastic Blues and Plasticism series use discarded packaging, produce containers, and other plastic objects as primary materials. By altering and recombining these objects, she transforms everyday waste into sculptural works that address the environmental impact of plastic while exploring its unexpected aesthetic qualities.

Nemec is also known for her long career as a performance artist and curator. She has presented visual and performance work in the United States and internationally, including in Mexico, Hungary, Germany, Japan, Ireland, and France. She has received grants from organizations including the Jerome Foundation, Artists Space, Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art, The Field, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Nemec served as director of Viridian Artists in New York for more than two decades and now continues with the gallery as Director Emerita while focusing on her own art and curatorial projects.