About
Victoria Reshetnikov (b. 2002, Queens, NY) is a first-generation Russian-American and New York-based artist working through interdisciplinary methods of making and research that center architecture, archaeology, and miniature in relation to New York City. She is a recent graduate from Columbia University with Bachelor's degrees in Art History and Visual Arts, and has recently completed a research project on the 1964-65 New York World's Fair and completed their first book "Queens: Your Time is Infinite." Her work has been featured in the Journal of Art Criticism and Ratrock Magazine, and has been exhibited in select group shows in New York City, including at NYC Culture Club, Field Projects, and Moshava Gallery. She's organized a set of shows with the art collective The Useless Art Society, as well as independent curatorial projects.
Contact: vilinda789@gmail.com
Artist's Statement
In Queens there is a particular smell or feeling that I have not yet named, that has in it melancholic nostalgia, or jittery awkwardness, or something in between. I grew up there, because my family fled the Soviet Union in 1991. Now, 33 years later, I am asking: what is this place, this ringing at the root of urban life? Through my work, I am arguing for an urban kind of infinity, based in identity, history, legacy, and delight. That here I am, together, with you.
At the root of my practice is memory, both personal and collective. To build my archive, I excavate relationships, people, and places: I pick things up off the ground and out of the dollar store, from the photo album and from the top of mall parking lots. Picturing this memory has necessitated the interweaving of interdisciplinary mechanical and traditional making: I draw, 3D print, stencil, screenprint, trim, draft, lasercut, file, sublimate, embroider, etch, and cut. I combine my working knowledge to create drawings, prints, and sculptures, iterating structures and images to create installations and interactive material.
My practice often turns to miniaturization and architecture as modes to consider urban development. The structure of the miniature is a highly political one that finds footing in mid-century modernism and globalization through the futuristic diorama. I consider that structure, as well as mapping, grid planning, and drafting as tools for control and urban displacement, through sites like the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair.
CV
Education:
2020/24 B.A. Art History, Columbia University, New York
2020/24 B.A. Visual Arts, Columbia University, New York
Residencies/Fellowships:
2024/25 Keyholder Residency, Lower East Side Printshop, New York
Group Exhibitions:
2024 "Interwoven: An Artist Colony," A Space Gallery, Brooklyn, details
2024 Undergraduate Thesis Show, Prentis Hall, Columbia University, New York
2024 "Traces," Field Projects, New York, online
2023 Undergraduate Open Studios, Columbia University, New York
2023 "What the Fuck is Wrong With You?" Useless Art Society, Caffeine Underground, New York, details
2023 "Village in the City," Moshava Gallery, New York
2023 "Ratrock Featured Artist Show Spring 2023," Columbia University, New York
2022 "Archaeology Final Show," Columbia University, New York, review
2022 "Kitsch and Chaos," Useless Art Society, New York, details
2021 "Romance," Useless Art Society, New York, details
2021 "Burnout," Useless Art Society, details
2021 "Connections," Useless Art Society, details
2018 Scholastic Gold Key Show at Metropolitan Museum, New York, details
Professional Experience:
2023 Studio Assistant, Agnes Denes, New York
2023 Studio Assistant, Leroy Neiman Center for Print Studies, New York
2022/23 Printshop Monitor, Leroy Neiman Center for Print Studies, New York
2021/22 Gallery Assistant, Rafael Gallery, New York
Awards:
2023 1st place in juried exhibition "Village in the City" at Moshava Gallery
2023 Featured artist for Ratrock Magazine
2020 Top Artist Award, Saint Francis Prep
2020 Certificate of Advanced Study in Art
2019 Congressional Art Award
2018 Scholastic Gold Key Award
Curatorial Projects:
2024 "Within Reach," NYC Culture Club, New York, details, checklist
2023 "What the Fuck is Wrong With You?" with the Useless Art Society, Caffeine Underground, Brooklyn, NY, details, press
2023 "Artivism!" at "The CUNY Summit for Peace & Justice," Macaulay Honors College, New York, NY, details
2022 "Kitsch & Chaos" with the Useless Art Society, Dodge Hall at Columbia University, New York, NY, details
2021 "Romance" with the Useless Art Society, Dodge Hall at Columbia University, New York, NY, details
2020 "Burnout" with the Useless Art Society, online
2020 "Connections" with the Useless Art Society, online
Publications:
2024 Journal of Art Criticism, "Sediment"
2023 Journal of Art Criticism, "Conversions," details