VSU’s Kalina Winska Shares New Research, Experimentation in Solo Exhibition

VALDOSTA — Kalina Winska’s “Clairvoyance” recently opened in the Atlantic Center for the Arts Alt_Space Gallery in New Smyrna Beach, Fla. The solo exhibition will run through Saturday, Oct. 19, and has been described as a celebration of “the power of vision and the exploration of the potential of a drawing.”

“... I am extremely excited about the show,” shared Winska, who joined the Valdosta State University Department of Art faculty in August 2012. “This solo exhibition is a result of my new research and experimentation with the medium of drawing that, as a process, has been going on for several months. To put together a solo exhibition that reflects all that experience in a holistic manner is not always an easy task.  … definitely, it gives a sense of accomplishment.”

Winska celebrated the opening of her solo exhibition on Saturday, Sept. 7. A number of her South Georgia-based friends and fans have already driven the 220-plus miles to see her works on display. 

“I am really happy with the way the show is installed at the Atlantic Center for the Arts Alt_Space Gallery …,” said the full-time assistant professor of art. “The opening night at the gallery … went extremely well. I had a chance to meet so many great people and discuss my work with them. I even sold one of my largest drawings that night.”

Growing up in Poland, Winska developed a passion for the arts, particular drawing. In 2007, she received a Socrates-Erasmus Scholarship to study at the Braunschweig University of Art in Braunschweig, Germany. Two years later, she earned a Master of Fine Arts in painting from the Academy of Art and Design in Wroclaw, Poland.

Winska then traveled to the United States to continue her studies at the University of Florida’s School of Art and Art History in Gainesville, Fla. She received an Alumni Fellowship in 2009, the Outstanding International Student Certificate and Dennis and Colette Campay Studio Art Scholarship in 2010, and a Materials and Fabrication Grant, Provost’s Digital Fabrication Lab Award, and James J. Rizzi Scholarship Fund in 2011. She graduated with a second Master of Fine Arts in 2012.

Winska has exhibited her works in solo and group exhibitions throughout her native country of Poland, as well as Georgia and Florida; she participated in an invitational exhibit in Detroit, Mich., in 2012. She was featured in Studio Visit magazine twice, in 2011 and 2012, and attended a residency program at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vt., in May and June 2012.    

With drawing as her chosen area of concentration and research, Winska primarily teaches foundation level and drawing courses at VSU. She will have another solo exhibition in November at the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts.

"I create forms and structures that allude to natural phenomena, living systems, and their formation on a micro and macro scale,” according to her 2013 artist statement. “The elements in my works — such as lines, circles, and pearl-like shapes — cluster, flow, loop, twist, collide, and fuse together, which, in turn, resemble molecules, tracks of subatomic particles, orbits, and shapes of microorganisms. These intricate patterns are carefully constructed, are often symmetrical, and imply tension between chance and structure.

“Drawing is central to my studio practice and I explore this discipline by means of abstraction. I am fascinated by the idea of drawing being in a constant flux, teetering on the verge between ‘becoming’ and ‘unbecoming’ and never reaching a definite form. I strive to give the viewer a visceral experience by putting emphasis on process and materials. The process of drawing allows for endless possibilities. I play with the idea that my drawing, whether it is made of graphite on paper, glue, or plastic resin floating off the wall, can resemble something other than its material identity. The constant shift between the literal and the illusion intrigues me.” 

The Atlantic Center for the Arts Alt_Space Gallery is located at 123 Douglas St., New Smyrna Beach, Fla. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free of charge. 

Kalina Winska can be contacted at (229) 333-5836 or kmwinska@valdosta.edu for more information.

On the Web:

http://www.kalinawinska.com/

http://www.valdosta.edu/colleges/arts/art/

http://www.atlanticcenterforthearts.org/

Valdosta State University’s 2013-2019 Strategic Plan represents a renewal of energy and commitment to the foundational principles for comprehensive institutions.

Implementation of the plan’s five goals, along with their accompanying objectives and strategies, supports VSU’s institutional mission and the University System of Georgia’s mission for comprehensive universities.

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