WINDHAM — Windham Fine Arts is presenting “Synergism,” a compelling new body of work by Russian-born artist Ekaterina Khromin. This exhibition, which is on display now and will run through March 31, introduces the artist’s innovative approach to creating art, blending multiple mediums and disciplines to forge an artistic language.
When Khromin arrived in the United States in 1990, the New World influenced her in ways she would have never expected before; finally she was free to express herself. She developed her artistic language as she tried to express herself in the way her feelings would lead her in a conversation with the viewer; not her former professional influence, which was developed in the school of Social Realism in Soviet Russia.
This new language helped her to sing her song freely and without reservation. All of Khromin’s paintings became about her life, reflecting her heritage as a Russian woman, the art that surrounded her in her past, her journey to a new country, and the experience of the contemporary modern art in America.
Khromin merges traditional techniques—drawing, sculpture, painting, and collage—into dynamic, textured works that vibrate with chromatic harmony. This process of transformation leads to a fresh, harmonious synthesis—what Khromin calls Synergism—where the sum of the parts is greater than the individual components.
Using everyday household items, Khromin is exploring their ambiguous meaning, creating an abstract relief on the canvas surface and destroying all recognizable and semantic meaning of the individual elements in a mosaic-like composition. She is producing a print of the object in the painting, while simultaneously infusing the painting with sculptural elements; eliminating the gap between painting, sculpture, and drawing.
Khromin graduated from the Russian Academy of Art with a Masters of Fine Arts. In addition to teaching, Khromin also worked as a children’s book illustrator at DETGIZ, Russia’s leading publisher of children’s books. After living in New York City for seven years, Ekaterina and her late husband, Victor moved to the Catskill region, enjoying almost Russian winters, snow, and beautiful views of the mountains.
Join Windham Fine Arts at 5380 NY-23 in Windham through March 31 for this journey into the world of “Synergism,” where art becomes more than the sum of its parts.
Gallery hours for Windham Fine Arts are Friday’s from noon-5 p.m., Saturday’s from noon-5:30 p.m. and Sunday’s from noon-4 p.m.
