Izabella Volovnik
I am a figurative painter, my body of work consists mostly of oil paintings on canvas alongside works on paper in acrylic, colored oil pencils and charcoal. Throughout my practice I explore animalistic representations of women, I am fascinated especially by depictions of women as “bitches” (female dogs) that exist in various languages and cultures. Since the 90s the offensive term “bitch” has been reclaimed by powerful women - I aim to be part of this process and illuminate it from different perspectives in my paintings. My recent series of paintings embody feminine characters that vary from being a compliant “pet” to a “bad animal”,others fit the “femme fatale” archetype as well. Painting for me is a territory in which I can wonder about the power-dynamics in my relationship with the world. This territory marks an opportunity for me to revolt: my bitchy-dog-women can bark and snarl while exposing their sharp teeth in a menacing smile, weaponizing their femininity - they express feelings and urges that I can’t verbalize as a human-being in a civilized society.
Izabella Volovnik (b. 1995), lives and works in Tel-Aviv, Israel; represented by Rosenfeld Gallery since 2019. Volovnik was born in Jerusalem to a family of Russian immigrants and was raised bi-lingual, experiencing a fusion of Israeli and Russian culture. As a teenager Volovnik studied in the Thelma-Yellin School of Arts after which her diploma project was exhibited in the Youth Department of the Israel Museum (Jerusalem). Since she received her B.Ed.F.A and graduated with honors in 2018 from HaMidrasha-Faculty of Arts, Beit-Berl College , Volovnik had two major solo exhibitions - one in Haifa’s Museum of Art (“Bitchcraft” 2019-2020) the second exhibition was in Rosenfeld Gallery, Tel Aviv (“Bitches” 2020), alongside a number of group shows in local museums and galleries. In 2021 Izabella Volovnik’s 12 paintings were acquired by Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, another painting of her’s was purchased by Tel-Aviv Museum of Art and was added to the museum’s collection via the annual Rappaport Prize. Her works are also part of Haifa’s Museum of Art collection and private collections in Israel as well. In addition to Izabella Volovnik’s career as an artist she works as a teacher in two academies - “Minshar School of Art” and “HaMidrasha -Faculty of Arts, Beit-Berl Academic College”. Her paintings were also featured in 3 issues of the french magazine “Tenou’a” along other publications.
