Ilana Savdie (born 1986) is a visual artist working primarily as a painter. Savdie was raised between

Barranquilla Barranquilla () is the capital district of the Atlántico department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean region of Colombia, Caribbean coast region; as of 2018, it had a popul ...

, Colombia and Miami, Florida. Her solo exhibition ''Ilava Savdie: Radical Contradictions'' at the

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a Modern art, modern and Contemporary art, contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighbor ...

, in 2023, presented an expansive view of her pictorial interests and artistic practice. She lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Early life and education

Ilana Savdie grew up in Barranquilla, Colombia, in the South American country, and Miami, United States. She received a BFA (2008) from

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase th ...

(RISD), Providence, and an MFA (2018) from

Yale School of Art The Yale School of Art is the art school of Yale University. Founded in 1869 as the first professional fine arts school in the United States, it grants Master of Fine Arts, Masters of Fine Arts degrees to students completing a two-year course in g ...

at Yale University, New Haven.

Work

Savdie's colorful large-scale paintings and drawings depict abstract visual investigations and distinct techniques. From visible brushstrokes to blurred patterns, she uses

acrylic Acrylic may refer to: Chemicals and materials * Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound * Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity * Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosettin ...

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

, and

beeswax Bee hive wax complex Beeswax (also known as cera alba) is a natural wax produced by honey bees of the genus ''Apis''. The wax is formed into scales by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of worker bees, which discard it in o ...

to bring her compositions to life. In her canvases, themes of identity, the body, beauty, individual and collective expressions, and regional manifestations such as Barranquilla Carnaval celebrations are mixed into the pictorial space. In 2017, she was shortlisted by New American Paintings magazine. In 2019, she was participated in a group show at CASSTL, Antwerp, with artists Rafa Sparza, Skip Arnold,

Ron Athey Ron Athey (born December 16, 1961) is an American performance artist associated with body art and with extreme performance art. He has performed in the U.S. and internationally (especially in the UK and Europe). Athey's work explores challenging ...

, among others. Savdie received NXTHVN Fellowship and was an artist-in-residence in New Haven, alongside artists Vincent Valdez and

Esteban Ramón Pérez Esteban Ramón Pérez (born 1989) is an American artist who produces multi-media paintings and sculptures. His sociopolitical artwork often emphasizes subjective memory, spirituality, and fragmented history. Pérez earned a BFA from the Californ ...

, in 2020. Her first solo exhibition in the United Kingdom was presented at White Cube gallery, London, in 2022. In 2023, her work on paper was included in the artists' list for the

Drawing Center The Drawing Center is a museum and a nonprofit exhibition space in Manhattan, New York City, that focuses on the exhibition of drawings, both historical and contemporary. History The Drawing Center was founded by former assistant curator of dr ...

's benefit auction in New York. Savdie's work on canvas was included in the

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and list of most visited art museums in the world, most visited art mu ...

's 2023 NGV Triennial, in Australia. The solo show ''Ilava Savdie: Radical Contradictions'' (2023) at the

displayed a set of newly created works that investigate the physical body, collective experiences, and traditional approaches to abstract painting. She was a visiting lecturer at

New York Studio School The New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture at 8 West 8th Street, in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York State is an art school formed in 1963 by a group of students and their teacher, Mercedes Matter, all of ...

in 2023 and at

Tyler School of Art and Architecture The Tyler School of Art and Architecture is part of Temple University, a large, urban, public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Tyler currently enrolls about 1,350 undergraduate students and about 200 graduate st ...

from Temple University, Pennsylvania, in 2024. For her solo show Extopia, her first in France taking stage at White Cube gallery, Ilana Savdie, is expanding on her investigation about abstraction and the body.

Collections (selection)

Ilana Savdie's work is included in international public and private collections. Her artworks can be found at the

Pérez Art Museum Miami Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)—officially known as the Jorge M. Pérez Art Museum of Miami-Dade County—is a contemporary art museum that relocated in 2013 to the Maurice A. Ferré Park in Downtown Miami, Florida. Founded in 1984 as the Cent ...

, Florida; Green Family Art Foundation; Burger Collection, Hong Kong; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern art, modern and contemporary art museum and nonprofit organization located in San Francisco, California. SFMOMA was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th-century art ...

, California; the

Hammer Museum The Hammer Museum, which is affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles, is an art museum and cultural center known for its artist-centric and progressive array of exhibitions and public programs. Founded in 1990 by the entrepreneur- ...

, Los Angeles, California; the Jewish Museum, New York;

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the list of largest art museums, 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 painting ...

, Massachusetts; the

Montréal Museum of Fine Arts The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is an art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the list of largest art museums in the world, largest art museum in Canada by gallery space. The museum is located on the historic Golden Square Mile stre ...

, Canada; the

Santa Barbara Museum of Art The Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) is an art museum located in downtown Santa Barbara, California. Founded in 1941, it is home to both permanent and special collections, the former of which includes Asian art, Asian, Visual arts of the United ...

, California; and the

Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) is an art museum in La Jolla, a community of San Diego, California. It is focused on the collection, preservation, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art from 1950 to the present. Binatio ...

, California, among others.

External links

Ilana Savdie website

White Cube gallery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Savdie, llana 1983 births Living people 21st-century American women painters 21st-century painters Yale School of Art alumni Rhode Island School of Design alumni