IN THE SPOTLIGHT | POLINA NOVOZHENETS
Born in Belarus and raised largely in western New York after immigrating to the U.S. as a child, Novozhenets grew up in a family where making things by hand was part of everyday life. She learned to sew, knit, mend and build from an early age, eventually returning to those foundations through a professional art practice that moves between painting, paper, wood and textiles.
Novozhenets uses these forms to explore entanglement in its many forms: the feeling of being overwhelmed by a problem, connection to another person, or the sense of freedom that can come from finding your way out of a difficult situation.
The knot has remained a constant feature of her work, but her materials continue to evolve. Earlier paintings and cutout works explored the illusion of dimensional ribbons and their flattened silhouettes. More recently, Novozhenets has brought that visual language into textile-based work, a progression that connects her contemporary practice back to the sewing, knitting and making she learned as a child.
Visit Polina Novozhenets in Studio #220 every first Saturday of the month from 1-4pm at Canopy for the monthly open studios event with food pop-ups, music, and community.
916 Springdale Rd.