Masha Ryskin
Lost in the Sun

Media: Intaglio, trace monotype on handmade Hanji paper
Size: 20" x 18" x 0"
POR

Artist Statement:
A sense of place and belonging is increasingly important to me, especially since my immigration from the Soviet Union. As a result, my work explores landscape and its elements through direct experience of the environment around me. I take bits and pieces of my surroundings and assemble them into imaginary environments. The work investigates a sense of place and displacement, personal memories and everyday rituals, as well as identity and assimilation.

I am interested in the human interaction with nature evidenced by the traces of our presence left in the landscape. My work directs attention to footprints, stains, and other overlooked elements that speak of the temporal quality of the human experience. The fragmented quality of the work alludes to the constant shifts that occur in memory and history.

Materiality is a priority in my practice. The paper fibers provide the tactile experience so important in this time of isolation. I highlight the imperfections in the handmade sheets with surface manipulation, using intaglio and trace monotype printmaking, as well as surface manipulation and drawing.

Biography

Masha Ryskin is a painter, printmaker, and installation artist. She holds a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA from University of Michigan and is on the faculty of Rhode Island School of Design. Ryskin works individually and collaboratively and has taught in the United States and abroad.

Ryskin has exhibited in numerous National and International exhibitions. Her solo exhibitions include Galeri GUN, Oslo, Norway, Galeri Koncentrat, Trondheim, Norway, Maison de la Culture Maisonneuve, Montreal, Canada, La Pan Gallery in Barcelona, Spain. She has also shown in NYC, Rochester, NY, Detroit, Boston, Cleveland and Providence. She has also completed a number of environmental and public art projects. Ryskin’s work has been reviewed and published in a number of publications, including The New York Times, and her pieces can be seen on covers of scientific volumes. She is a recipient of numerous grants and awards, including a Fulbright Fellowship to Oslo, Norway and Rhode Island Painting Fellowship. Her work has been reviewed and published in a number of publications, including The New York Times.

https://masharyskin.com/