Artist Statement: This past summer I visited Galapagos Islands, and I was struck by the abundance and beauty of life that was preserved there due to remoteness and arid climate. What I saw made me realize how empty of life and animals are most places that I had seen in my life. Our forests and rivers are almost completely devoid of life as it once was, and the species that we still see are rapidly disappearing. It is almost impossible to imagine what North American or European forests and river basins were like before humans transformed them into an almost continuous urban and sub-urban sprawl. I want my piano to be a song of a celebration of seabirds and their life in the clouds.
Irina Sheynfeld grew up in Odessa, Ukraine where she was classically trained as a painter and puppet maker. She continued her studies at Parsons School of Design where she earned her BFA, then received her MFA at the School of Visual Arts. Irina has had multiple solo exhibitions; her work has been included in juried group shows and published by various publications including WSJ, Money Magazine and Oxygen Media. Ms. Sheynfeld is a recipient of the COJECO's Blueprint Fellowship and Grant.
