Banner artwork: Isa Newby Gagarin,
Nanana Throws, 12" x 18", colored pencil and collage on paper, 2008.
(Image cropped and reproduced for access+ENGAGE with permission of the artist)
About her work, Gagarin writes: "I think of my current body of work as a language built of found pictures that tell a non-linear story about my cultural identity. Most of the pictures I use come from National Geographic magazines, and most are of women. Some are translated into carbon transfer drawings, some integrated in collages, others used directly as sculptural material. In my practice, I can invent connections between myself and the first man in space (Yuri Gagarin) by making simple collages. I can upset the power struggle in photographs of women by 
using them to redefine beauty in a personally specific context. By focusing on the presentation of my work in ways that address the viewer’s whole body and senses, I hope the pictures I use become intimate and dynamic beyond their original source as flat, objectified pictures.
"The exhibition at Midway is titled Beru, after the name affectionately given to Beryl Markham by local Murani people in West With the Night (1942), wherein she tells the story of being a young British girl growing up in West Africa, eventually becoming a successful pilot. I use the book as a jumping off point for the visual work (and play) in the exhibition."
About the artist: Isa Newby Gagarin was born in Guam and grew up in Texas, Alaska, and Hawai’i. She graduated with a BFA in Painting at Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2008. Her practice is centered around visual art but also works collaboratively in curating and musical ventures. In 2007 and 2008, she and local artist Michael Mott operated SELTZER, an apartment gallery/project space. See Andy Sturdevant’s recent article for mnartists.org, “Exhibitionists,” about Seltzer and the contemporary Minneapolis do-it-yourself gallery scene.
Upcoming exhibition:
Beru: Isa Newby Gagarin will open at Midway Contemporary Art in Minneapolis with a reception Friday, April 4 from 7-9 pm, and will be on view in the gallery through May 31.
Inquiries about specific pieces may be directed to the artist. You can see a sampling of Gagarin's work on mnartists.org/isa_newby_gagarin.
Credits: Photo courtesy of the artist; Image (middle right), Up, Up, collage. (Bottom center) Video stills from Waterfall (run time 6 minutes, 20 seconds), 2007.