Katia Bulbenko

My assemblages are informed by imperfection, erosion, and impermanence. Objects shaped by and subjected to wear, such as a peeling plaster wall, a bit of seashell, or a twisted tree branch that has withstood exposure to the elements all have history and stories. I work with the organic shapes and gestures inherent in eroded fragments and compose them in ways that tell a new story. By adding color and embellishment I celebrate their beauty and strength. Each construction is an object; it becomes its own realm evoking a universal feeling of separateness and belonging. Experiences as a printmaker and textile designer have contributed to my process of working with pattern, layers, shadows, textures, form, surface and color. The painted and printed fabric, jigsaw-cut wood, Yupo paper, ink, marker, acrylic paint, watercolor, silk, thread, wire, beads, and polyester stuffing are intuitively assembled to contrast and harmonize, then are finished with more detail as I coax them into being.