Refugee Ukrainian Performance Artist Maria Proshkowska showcases practice in Felixstowe Suffolk

July 26, 2023

Pier Projects Art Agency and Hamilton MAS – the micro arts space by the sea – are delighted to be working with Maria to host an artist talk, open studio and practice showcase titled ‘Grain’ comprising of video and a sand-based installation.

Maria, who has been based in Ipswich since she was forced to leave Ukraine due to the ongoing war, will introduce her practice through a studio showcase titled ‘Grain’ comprising video and a sand-based installation. The video, with its emphasis on repetition in movement,’ is a metaphor for the accumulation and processing of personal experience and the importance of routine in this process.

Artist Maria Proshkowska commented.

“Exhibiting recent work on the coast in Felixstowe is very symbolic for me. The work in this exhibition was commissioned by VOGUE Ukraine in 2021 to mark the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. Here, it finds a new context and reflects on the hospitality shown to me in the UK. As a guest in Suffolk, I am trying to re-gather my life. At times, this process can feel like sand slipping through my fingers but looking out to the North Sea and at the seemingly never-ending horizon, reminds me of home.”

Located within the port town of Felixstowe and its position looking out to Europe offers a particular poignancy for this exhibition and Maria and the organisers are hopeful other members of the local Ukrainian community will connect with the work and one another.

Natalie Pace (Director, Pier Projects) reiterated how special this opportunity is for Pier Projects and artists in the East of England.

“Maria got in touch after she watched Yva Jung’s film ‘Journey with a Container’ at Landguard Fort, which we had commissioned. It was wonderful to hear that the film had resonated with her and we met up to discuss how we could share her practice here in Suffolk. Whilst Maria is working on multiple exhibitions and opportunities internationally, this is the first time she has presented her work in the East of England. The work is personal, political and poetic. It’s a real honour to be able to share her work in Felixstowe.”

 

Artist Talk and Exhibition Details:

 Venue – Hamilton MAS, Bent Hill, Felixstowe, IP11 7DG

 Dates and Times

 Studio Social, Artist Talk and Opening, Friday 28th July, 6.30 – 8pm

 Open Studio, Saturday 29th July – 6th August,  11am – 4pm

And by appointment. Free, all welcome.

This event is programmed by Pier Projects, in collaboration with Hamilton MAS and made possible with the support of Arts Council England.

 

Maria Proshkowska:  (B.1986) is a Ukrainian artist who works with performance, video, installation and photography. Due to the ongoing invasion, she is currently living in Ipswich. 

Maria’s work explores gender, identity, trauma and the self.  She is Laureate of the special prize of the contest of young artists МУХі2017, special prize of VOGUE magazine and participant of American Arts Incubator in Ukraine. Her work is featured in collections internationally including  Shcherbenko Art Center (Kyiv, Ukraine), MAMbo (Bologna, Italy) and private collections in Ukraine and abroad. proshkowska.com

 

Pier Projects: a visual art agency working in Felixstowe, Suffolk. It was founded in 2017 to explore non-dualistic approaches to art and health in the specific context of the coast. We work collaboratively and our programmes focus on mental, physical, social and environmental wellbeing through;

      Artist Commissions

      Community Collaboration

      Artist Support and Development

To date, we have commissioned artists, shared artist talks and networking events, hosted lunches, piloted a festival and over a period of five years, worked with young people in partnership with Level Two Youth Project. We are a registered CIC, operating as a not-for-profit. www.pierprojects.org

 

Hamilton MAS: the micro arts space by the sea in Felixstowe provides flexible creative space for artists and the community.  Housed in one of the oldest buildings in the town, just off the seafront, it has been a fisherman’s cottage, a bath house, a newsagents, a post office, an antiques and a carpet shop, latterly a tattoo parlour and now an art space. Hamilton MAS offers micro studios, public facing project and show space.

The organisation supports and showcases diverse and cross disciplinary art practices by local, regional and international artists.

Hamilton MAS is a disability-led organisation with a focus on providing support, time and space for artists and creatives who may be living with debilitating, invisible health conditions and experiencing extreme life challenges. Hamilton MAS was founded by artist and current director Bryony Graham in 2018 in response to a diagnosis of a chronic pain and energy limiting illness. www.hamiltonmas.org.uk