We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Serena Buschi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Serena, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
My practice is grounded in interrelated bodies of nets and grids, through which I explore repair, transformation, and the veiled systems of connection that shape experience. These bodies of work are expressions of a consistent, evolving language that honors rupture and restoration. Whether through suspended net forms, gridded fiber-paper compositions, or participatory sound and stitching, my work seeks to soften hard systems, trace ancestral lines, and disrupt what no longer serves.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Mending is central to my practice, serving as both metaphor and method. Acts of knotting, wrapping, and binding reflect the human instinct to restore what has been damaged. I use repeated circular nets and mirrors that reflect ourselves within the cycle of rupture and repair. Three frameworks shape my work: Weight, which encompasses physical and emotional mass; Waveform, the energetic space between interactions, echoing connection; and the Grid, which provides structure that I strive to remain fluid, interrupted, and responsive.
Transforming inherited materials allows me to both honor and disrupt tradition. Wrapping becomes a ritual of reclamation; tearing, an intentional act of refusal. These gestures break the illusion of untouchable beauty and offer me agency and authorship; it is the process of my healing. Through the combination of fragility and strength, I offer a visual cyclical language for navigating dissonance and renewal. I invite the viewer to consider what holds them, and how we might begin to mend and renew.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
An artistic drive has always been a part of me, something I had to do, not just something I wanted to do. I tried art in its many forms, dance, music, as well as drawing & painting were all part of my early life. I’ve always trusted that this journey would unfold in ways I couldn’t yet see. The journey has unfolded in ways I understand now, looking back. Child psychology, fashion design, and teaching art have all come full circle in my choice of materials and my ability to have a sustainable practice in art making. I finally got my MFA later in life, but that choice was driven by a vision I’ve held for as long as I can remember. It wasn’t just about gaining formal education; it was about committing to my fullest potential and trusting myself. Even with the challenges, whether financial or balancing multiple roles, I continued to trust the process. I’ve always envisioned moving forward, and that belief has been a guiding force. The need to create has always been innate to me, and I had no choice but to follow that drive. So now I continue on this journey with wisdom and trust.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson I had to unlearn is the pressure to rush, especially in a world that often pushes for quick results and immediate gratification. I learned early on that success isn’t about moving fast; it’s about trusting the process and giving things the time they need to develop. Early in my artistic journey, I felt a sense of urgency to get everything done quickly, whether that was completing a piece, gaining recognition, or moving forward in my career. But over time, I realized that rushing didn’t serve me or my work. The materials I use now force me to slow down. The real lesson has been about trusting myself and the process. When I allow myself the time and space to create, things fall into place in their own time. Now, I understand that trusting the timing of everything, especially my own journey, is what leads to real growth and fulfillment.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.serenabuschi.com
- Instagram: @serenabuschi
