Iryna Merkulova’s “Blind Contour” series focuses on an uprooted person’s perception of place, the sense of belonging, the feeling of home.
A Ukranian-born Canadian, Merkulova explores her home base of Montreal with the eye of an immigrant, drawing attention to the idea of making existing urban spaces more humane.
“As an immigrant, I have always been looking to establish attachment to different places to rediscover a place of belonging, a feeling of home and re-define an evolved self-identity,” she says.
Iryna Merkulova
Merkulova’s observations blend inner and outer worlds, using reflections and juxtapositions to fracture familiar spaces.
The paintings represent snapshots of “urban navigation routines” and include fragments of architectural landscapes with visual openings to interior spaces through reflections in the windows.
The recognizable places, depicted in a non-traditional way by juxtaposing the inner and outer spaces, encourage viewers to re-discover their surroundings to find their purpose and beauty.
Link to the series “Blind Contour,” here
Iryna Merkulova is at the Artist Project 2024 in Toronto in April, here.
Iryna Merkulova’s website, including her biography, here.
Her Instagram, here.
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I like the eccentric take the artist imposes on style & subject matter I’ve seen before. It elevates the art to its own place and definitely raises her message.
It’s urbanity with a twist. Very cool.
How can they not be photographs? Wow! The first one was incredible. Hard to believe it’s a painting. Fantastic talent.
This was great, usually I see urban art which is more in the country or at a coffee shop. Here is in a downtown area with all the lights, people, etc. I can look at ALL of them and while not going to a city, feel like I am in one. Bravo.