In the heart of Brooklyn, amidst the bustling streets and vibrant art scene, resides a force of creativity and activism embodied in the enigmatic figure of Kristina Bivona.
For over two decades, Bivona, who is studying for her doctorate in education at Columbia University, has been at the intersection of art and radical politics, fearlessly challenging societal norms and advocating for marginalized voices. Hailing from Philadelphia, she has carved her niche as both an artist and a scholar, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of contemporary art.
365 Foundation Inc., a new grassroots nonprofit at 305 W. Main St. in Lansdale dedicated to promoting and empowering women in the community, has chosen Bivona as its inaugural female solo artist and will celebrate her and International Women's Day at its Art Gallery Friday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at a ticketed event. State Representative Elizabeth Hanbidge will be the keynote speaker.
Tickets at $10 are available here.
Bivona’s exhibition "Paper Dolls” showcases pop-up books and experimental prints that explore complexities of femininity, sexuality, and identity, according to Natalie Venezia, founder and CEO of 365 Foundation. All works are for sale at the exhibition.
Art fans and attendees to the exhibit, which runs until April 7, can expect themes of high-femme queer presentation, sex work, capital, and stigma, Venezia said.
"This is not just an art exhibition; it is a powerful statement on women’s liberation and the challenges faced by women in society today,” said Venezia. "Through her work, Kristina confronts societal norms that both objectify and stigmatize women.”
The "Paper Dolls” exhibition, Venezia said, will feature a double-sided tunnel book and an oversized book hanging from the ceiling. These multi-dimensional pop-up books serve as a visual representation of the struggles faced by women in modern society, she said.
"We are thrilled to host Kristina Bivona’s groundbreaking work at 365 Foundation,” said Venezia. "Her art sparks important conversations about gender equality and empowerment.”
Bivona pulls at "the tangled fibers of femininity” with her prints and visual artwork. Guests to the opening night can expect a melting woman in a candle and an altar to alternative women’s health.
Bivona's artistic journey is as multifaceted as it is compelling. Co-founding a printshop for prison diversion with Recess | Assembly in Brooklyn, she has championed art as a tool for social change.
Her personal printmaking practice transcends mere aesthetic expression, delving into the realms of sex work and incarceration, issues often shrouded in stigma and silence. Through her artist pop-up books, she unveils the complexities of these subjects with a rawness and honesty that captivates and challenges viewers.
According to a press release, Bivona’s exhibit of pop-up
books and experimental prints acts "as a bridge between women’s liberation and
complexities of being sexualized, underpaid, disenfranchised, and still
celebratory for our identities.”
Raised in the crucible of poverty and stigma, Bivona's upbringing has imbued her art with a raw authenticity and a deep-seated empathy for the marginalized. The eldest child of three girls, she knows intimately the struggles of making ends meet, of stretching meager resources to their limits.
Yet, from these humble beginnings, she has forged a path of resilience and defiance, refusing to be silenced in the face of injustice, adopting her single mother’s maiden name. Today, she continues to push boundaries, using unconventional materials like dollar store lotion in her prints, which weep when left on the wall, a poignant reminder of the economic disparities that permeate society.
For Bivona, body-grade silicone or petroleum jelly becomes her tools for an ironic and playful challenge on the notions of traditional femininity.
Through her work, Bivona confronts head-on a culture that commodifies and objectifies women while simultaneously criminalizing those who seek agency within it.
At All Street Gallery in New York City last October, Bivona exhibited her artistic paper project "Jailbirds,” featuring black-and-white pop-out images juxtaposed with other brown and tan-shaded images and cutouts, that made many 3-D statements from many different angles.
Where a writer would use paper for written composition for publication, which is often intended to be read aloud, Bivona, in her words, uses paper to bespeak aloud the institutionalization we all endure, no matter our background. Bivona has had more than 30 selected exhibitions since 2016.
In a video of her "Jailbirds” exhibit on her website – which also serves as a space for her art, curation, and publications – Bivona, who holds a BFA and MFA in printmaking from University of the Arts and Penn State, respectively, said her institutionalization came from "the carceral state, and the state of education that we have here in the U.S.”
The video shows her exhibition space of what she calls books of a playful nature, then suddenly images of molds in petri dishes right next to the art. The dishes, she said, came from people she spoke to on a regular basis. These people, she said, helped her "plan a way to seek out the atmosphere they breathe, the vents that they lay on, the water that goes into their body, the food that they eat, which is incredibly bad for a human being.”
"If the objective of incarceration is retribution, removal and rehabilitation, we have only addressed one of those areas,” Bivona, a former Columbia University doctoral fellow, said. "These people live with MRSA in their bodies forever. They lose children. They develop mental illnesses that they’ll never recover from.”
"And by all means,” she continued, "there’s never been a crime that I’ve ever known a woman or a female-identified person to commit that ever deserves that kind of a sentence.”
See also:
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