Eugenia REZNIK | MaCI - Université Grenoble Alpes

Eugenia REZNIK

Eugenia Reznik is a Ukrainian-French-Canadian visual artist who resides and practices her art in both Canada and France. She holds a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of Kiev and a Master’s degree in Visual and Media Arts from the University of Quebec in Montreal, where she also defended her PhD in 2023.

Her artistic endeavors explore the intricate intersections between creation, sociological insights, documentary practices, digital arts, and botanical research, with a particular focus on the dynamic relationships between plant migration and human migration. Eugenia's work has been presented at various venues across Canada, Europe, and the US, including Ars Electronica in Linz, Austria, Maison des arts de Laval in Canada, l’Imagier Art Center in Gatineau, Canada, and Imagespassages in Annecy, France

Project : Invisible objects in migrants' homes: What an old embroidery can unveil

In the context of the migrant crisis and the renewed interest in migrants' objects, Eugenia Reznik’s project is a research and creation work at the intersection of social sciences and contemporary art. The project focuses on invisible objects in migrant households. Brought from countries of origin and stored in boxes or basements, out of sight of family members, these invisible objects are remnants of the past and carry mnemonic memories. The aim of this research and creation is to explore the roles that invisible fabrics like old clothing, handmade embroideries, placemats, and ritual cloths play through the transmission of memories and stories. The artist intends to question the ways the creative process may bring them "back to life" and serve as a catalyst for the visibility of narratives and fabrics.

Through a call for participation, Eugenia will organize embroidery workshops to collect oral histories of fabrics from participants. She will also explore the remnants of the flax plant in the linen fabrics of her Ukrainian family based on scientific tests conducted during a creation residency she previously carried out at Washington State University. Materials collected during the workshops and tests will be used to create multidisciplinary art works that will include video, light devices, photographs, drawings, embroideries, and stories.

The project aims to activate the visibility and transmission of fabrics from migrant households, revealing them to the audience through narratives, embroidery and multimedia art installations that will be created and exhibited at MACI. The project seeks to foster strong integration within the local scientific and citizen community and promote international collaboration with Washington State University and Université du Québec à Montréal.

Eugenia will be affiliated to the laboratory ILCEA4 and will be working closely with Pr. Marie Mianowski. She will integrate the research axis ‘Création et Territoires,’ where Pr. Mianowski co-leads the IRGA 2023 SEEDS project (Sensory Ecologies and Environmental Dialogues) with Pr Valérie Morisson (Université de Montpellier). This project focuses on the links between botany, gardening and agricultural practices as well as artistic practices in the context of plant migrations and ecological change, with a methodology based on collecting oral archives, written productions and visual art.

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Funded by the French government's Programme d'Investissement Avenir and implemented by ANR France 2030