Katya

I am so excited to announce that my soft sculpture will be on display at the Textile Arts Center this month!Play, curated by Joetta Maue
May 13-June 24, 2011

Opening | Friday, May 13, 8 - 11 PM
Artist Talk | Monday, June 13, 7 PM
Play workshop | Sunday, June 12, 1-5 PM

Textile Arts Center
505 Carroll St,
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Gallery hours are
Mon - Fri: 10 AM - 6 PM • Sat - Sun : 11 AM - 5 PM

artist's statement

My family immigrated from Minsk, Belarus to the suburbs of Cleveland in 1992, when I was 11 years old. This major transition made me feel like a fish out of water for most of my awkward teenage years and it really wasn’t until I embraced my roots that I felt like I could develop my own voice.

I am a fiber artist. I use thread and yarn as three-dimensional image-making tools. Embroidery and knitting are timeless forms of human expression that have a hidden history. Seen as mere women’s work, and solely utilitarian, they were not welcomed into the gallery world. My work seeks to build on these notions of femininity, family and tradition, while introducing fiber arts into the contemporary art realm.

I feel empowered to use art-making techniques taught to me by my grandmother, and through disciplines I learned in art school, transform them and create something new. For one, I enjoy using a once-silent, “women’s art form” to create dynamic portraits of women in my life who inspire me. The slow meditative process and repetitive motion of the art form feel natural and organic and I see it almost as a form of resistance against the pace of contemporary life.

-Katya Usvitsky
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artist's statement

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