Spending much of her time painting in Italy, Karen Yurkovich has been
collaborating with Isabella Dalla Ragione, co-founder of a bio-diverse farm
called Archeologica Arborea. The farm is a mix of research, history, and
ecological science in the context of day-to-day, hands on contact with
nature. The artist views her work as similar to the goals of the farm, that
is, she represents nature in her paintings, exploring its biological rules
and symbolic history, utilizing non-toxic painting techniques, and
rejuvenating the historically laden subject of still life painting. Karen
states: "Our work together doesn't spring from a nostalgia for the past,
close to extinction, which only allows us to to experience already felt
emotions. Our work asks that things be looked at as they are in their
complexity and reflected upon, something disturbing in a world that doesn't
want to stop and think too much."
Karen Yurkovich currently divides her time between Vancouver, Canada and
Perugia, Italy. She graduated with an MFA from the University of Alberta,
Canada, in 1990 and has taught at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design
in Vancouver and the University of Alberta. Her work has been exhibited
throughout Europe, Canada and the United States and is held in many public
and private collections.
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