Nava Lubelski

Things We Think We Know

Artist Talk June 1 @ 2PM

April 26 – June 8, 2024

Abstract textile work by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

From Here, 2023

Thread and acrylic on canvas

22h x 24w in
55.88h x 60.96w cm

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Abstract textile work by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

Left Behind, 2020

Thread and acrylic on canvas

18h x 18w in
45.72h x 45.72w cm

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Abstract textile work by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

In Your Eye, 2024

Thread and paint on canvas

36h x 36w in
91.44h x 91.44w cm

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Abstract textile work by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

Suddenly Supernova, 2020

Acrylic paint, fabric scraps, string and hand-stitched thread on canvas

60h x 60w in
152.40h x 152.40w cm

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Abstract textile sculpture by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

My Tears and Broken Heart Should Comfort You, 2024

Thread and found fabric, filled with dryer lint and old quilt stuffing

6h x 12w x 12d in
15.24h x 30.48w x 30.48d cm

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Abstract textile work by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

Thoughts and Prayers (Crib Quilt), 2024

Found fabric, thread and cotton batting on linen,

32h x 34w in
81.28h x 86.36w cm

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Abstract textile work by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

Pattern Loss Recognition 2, 2023

Thread, fabric scraps and acrylic paint on found silk

14h x 14w in
35.56h x 35.56w cm

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Abstract textile work by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

Pattern Loss Recognition 3, 2023

Thread, fabric scraps and acrylic paint on found silk

14h x 14w in
35.56h x 35.56w cm

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Abstract textile work by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

Warmer, 2020

Acrylic paint, fabric scraps, smoke residue and hand-stitched thread on canvas

60h x 60w in
152.40h x 152.40w cm

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abstract painting with washes of blue and grey embroidered with bright colored thread, repaired/embroidered holes

Nava Lubelski

In the Detour Business, 2024

Thread and house paint on linen, over oil on canvas

60h x 60w in
152.40h x 152.40w cm

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Abstract textile work by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

Everest, 2023

Hand-stitched thread and acrylic paint on canvas

30h x 34w in
76.20h x 86.36w cm

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Abstract textile work by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

Bubby’s Bed Sheet, 2024

paint, fabric scraps and hand stitching on vintage bed sheet

36h x 42w in
91.44h x 106.68w cm

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Abstract textile work by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

Riddled, 2024

Thread and acrylic on canvas

32h x 36w in
81.28h x 91.44w cm

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Abstract textile work by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

Were Next, 2023

Thread and acrylic paint on cotton bed sheet

12h x 12w in
30.48h x 30.48w cm

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Abstract collage work by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

Ink Blot, 2023

Cut paper collage, ink and acrylic on illustration board

20h x 30w in
50.80h x 76.20w cm

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flat paper sculpture made from a cut and curled antique letter

Nava Lubelski

In Touch, 2024

acrylic medium and letter (dated Jan 1, 1925 from the USS Maryland, last known correspondence by naval pilot to his teenage sister before his death at age 24 in plane crash)

1/2h x 7w x 11d in
1.27h x 17.78w x 27.94d cm

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painted paper sculpture of a pitcher pouring over a plant in a planter

Nava Lubelski

White, 2024

Household paint on cardboard and gro cery store paper bag

66h x 32w x 24d in
167.64h x 81.28w x 60.96d cm

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Abstract textile work by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

The Final Boss of NYC, 2024

Paint, thread and paper on canvas

60h x 60w in
152.40h x 152.40w cm

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Abstract collage work by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

Strike, 2023

Cut paper collage, dirt and acrylic on creased paper

20h x 36w in
50.80h x 91.44w cm

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Abstract collage work by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

Piles of Work, 2022

Cut paper collage, ink and pencil on illustration board

20h x 30w in
50.80h x 76.20w cm

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Abstract collage work by Nava Lubelski

Nava Lubelski

Work Makes You, 2022

Cut paper collage, dirt, ink, lace scraps and acrylic medium on illustration board

20h x 30w in
50.80h x 76.20w cm

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Press Release

Tracey Morgan Gallery is pleased to present our first solo exhibition of artist Nava Lubelski, Things We Think We Know. A reception for the artist will be held Friday, April 26 at our new location at 22 London Road, Asheville, 6-8PM.

Working in an intuitive and improvisational mode, Lubelski uses a staggering array of materials – discarded balls of thread, found fabrics, cut paper, dirt, dryer lint, electric wire, smoke residue – to turn the time-honored tradition of craft on its head, diving deep into the beauty of violence and the art of chaos.

This exhibition of recent work, primarily in stitching and collage, is made entirely from the detritus of the home and studio. Scraps of what is damaged, worn out, or left over from other projects are given new life, elevating the fragmented, the forlorn and the forgotten bits, into something worthy of attention. Lubelski often incorporates knotted, “ruined” piles of thread that have been rendered unusable as their original purpose introducing an element of perceived randomness to a medium (embroidery) commonly reliant on order and predictability.

Using found fabrics as a ground, Lubelski adds hand-stitching for an aesthetic of “mending” which is reminiscent of the fabric equivalent of the Japanese art of Kintsugi in pottery. Accentuating stains and tears with her needlework, Lubelski focuses attention on these imperfections and celebrates their intrinsic beauty in an act that seems to be reminding us that the small incidents of everyday life are too markers of history.

Recent collage work on view nods to Wycinanki, or the folk art of paper cutting. These pieces are bold and colorful,  with elements of pop and graffiti art, and an urgency that is electric.

Lubelski’s childhood in 1970s NYC informs her work in myriad ways, as the grit, grime, violence, and sense of possibility are all absorbed into her practice. Being the first-generation child of a WWII refugee and living with the residue of trauma, anger, fear, and loss, as well as first-hand understanding of how the victim can become the perpetrator, has informed her need to make work that can hold complexity and doesn’t pretend to purity or basic beauty.

Nava Lubelski’s work has been exhibited widely at museums such as the Queens Museum of Art, NYC; the Museum of Arts & Design, NYC; the San Diego Museum of Art, CA; the National Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, Oslo; the Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC; and the Asheville Art Museum, NC. Lubelski's work has been reviewed in The New York Times, LA Times, Art Forum, ArtNews, and The Village Voice, was the subject of a feature in American Craft, and has been included in many international contemporary art books. She has received grants from The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and the North Carolina Arts Council. Lubelski received a degree in Russian Literature & History from Wesleyan University and spent a year as a student in Moscow, Russia. She currently lives and works in Asheville, N