Collection: Maya Skarzenski

Maya Skarzenski is an emerging artist fusing together textiles, painting and photography. Her work explores the intersections between the abject and the beautiful. Through the use of material exploration and by incorporating unusual process combinations, she dissolves the line between fine-art and craft. Painting and textile techniques allow Skarzenski to create bodily imagery that is sensual, fragile, playful, and ambiguous. Her work salvages beauty from the fear and unease in relation to the human body. The many facets of her explorations have allowed her to create a diverse body of work. One of her series includes soft sculptures made of satin that are anthropomorphized and named “Wonks” (because of their wonky existence). They resemble worms or organs. Viewers are often in disagreement as to whether these stuffed creatures are comforting or unsettling. They are soft and squishy, yet very inorganic and often tied together in uncomfortable positions. Photography bolsters her repertoire by allowing her to reinterpret previous works or by creating a more investigative look at surface or the body. Her other projects include paintings that are pure material delight. Usually small in size, these paintings are often made with embroidery thread pretending to be paint. Textiles and paint have a secret love affair that becomes obvious in Skarzenski’s work.