Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalya Khorover
Hi Natalya, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My artist career started way back in high school when I attended the High School of Art & Design in NYC. I knew I wanted a career in art, just wasn’t sure which way I should go, and that wonderful high school allowed me to see the many possibilities available to me.
I went on to major in Fashion Design, with a minor in Painting, at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. What followed was an adventure of discovery! During the time that I worked in the fashion industry, I had the opportunity to learn all about color, collage and of course design. I had the opportunity to travel widely, all over Western Europe for inspirational trips researching what was happening in fashion trends and throughout Asia on trips to various manufacturers.
After about a decade of fashion I felt the pull to try my hand at Costume Design in film and television. After a stint designing costumes for the NYU Film final thesis students, I started working on independent films and eventually joined IATSE Wardrobe Supervisors and Costume Designers unions. Working in film and television was an exciting time, I loved bonding with the cast and crew as we created the director’s vision together. Teamwork is an amazing way to hone your creative and collaborative skills.
I left the film industry right around 9/11 to raise my two daughters. I was lucky to be able to be a stay at home mom so that I could focus on my children, and also slowly start my artist career.
I was pulled to create art with fabric and stitch as that was something I was very familiar with and loved. As I experimented with fabric scraps, I also started discovering various household items which could be incorporated into art once they have outlived their original use. Using dryer sheets, old magazines, and found plastic bags brought back memories of growing up in Soviet Russia where making do and being thrifty was how you lived and created. This is what really started me on the path of being a repurposed media artist. There was no turning back.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Struggles are what make life interesting. From figuring out why a material isn’t doing what I want it to do, to why an image isn’t balanced, or how to best use a material which was meant for something else, those are all challenges which lead to a better art practice.
My biggest challenge has always been how to make people aware of the damage that plastic pollution is causing to our planet, while gently encouraging them to do something about it. I hope that I am going about it the right way by encouraging artists to create art from single-use plastic and make the invisible visible.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am known for my art made from soft single-use plastic. Because it’s so fabric-like, I started substituting it for fabric in my artworks and eventually replaced the fabric all together.
I became known for my scenes of the urban landscape stitched entirely from soft single use plastic bags, then I moved on to graffiti inspired art collaged together from the letters and graphics cut off from soft single use plastic packaging and eventually into nature inspired art stitched from the same materials.
What I am proud of currently are my public art installations created using the soft and hard single-use plastics and especially the ones where the community is involved in helping to create. The community stitch projects are most satisfying as not only do they engage the community members in actual art making which is so good for supporting better mental health, reducing anxiety, managing stress, enhancing sleep and concentration, and very importantly also make the creators and the viewers aware of issues of plastic pollution and its detrimental effects on our planet.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Oh gosh…. I guess that would have to be that no matter how hard it is to put yourself out there, the rewards far outweigh the risk!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artbynatalya.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbynatalya/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NatalyaKhoroverArtist
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ0ZWXG0nIeMLXfOgau360Q
- Other: https://www.repurposercollective.com/
Image Credits
Headshot photo credit is Ana Szilagyi Photographer