This exhibition presents work made by 2017 UT teaching residents, Israeli-artist collective, The New Barbizon group. The New Barbizon members, Natalia Zourabova, Asya Lukin, Anna Lukashevsky, Olga Kundina, Zoya Cherkassky, have returned to the tradition of plein air painting to depict Austin’s urban environment. American Dream will feature direct paintings from their time in Austin, at locations they and their students felt imparted meaning either politically, contextually or formally. Utilizing en plein air painting as a process of looking, The New Barbizon members’ work searches for their specific version of the American Dream while student work reflects a sharp reexamination of the familiar.
About the Artists
Born in Russia, The New Barbizon collective consists of five female painters, Natalia Zourabova, Asya Lukin, Anna Lukashevsky, Olga Kundina and Zoya Cherkassky-Nnadi; who established a collective in 2011 in Tel-Aviv, Israel. They have exhibited in several museums across Israel, including Mishkan Museum of Art, Bar David Museum of Art, Market in Be’er Sheva and The Negev Museum of Art. Their work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions across Europe, including the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Haifa Museum of Art, Bat Yam Museum of Art, Circle 1 gallery, Transit Display gallery, and Perm Museum among others. They have organized plein air workshops in Bedouin villages, African refugee communities, Palestinian territories and all across Israel, Europe and Russia; and now in Austin, Texas.