Meet the Artists: Magdalena Dukiewicz, Caroline Garcia, and Blanka Amezkua

Amezkua is an interdisciplinary artist, cultural promoter, educator, and project creator whose practice is greatly informed by folk art and popular culture. From 2008 to 2010, Amezkua helmed the artist-run Bronx Blue Bedroom Project (BBBP). She then operated Alexander Avenue Apartment 3A (AAA3A), an alternative project that offered food, dialogue, workshops, and art in her living room until 2024.  She has shown at MoMA PS1, The Bronx Museum, the Queens Museum, El Museo del Barrio, EFA Project Space, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, and the San Diego Art Institute, among others. Amezkua earned a BFA from California State University Fresno and studied at Accademia di Belli Arti, Florence, Italy; Scuola Libera del Nudo. Learn more about the artist at www.blankaamezkua.com. Photo: David Carman

Garcia has exhibited in New York at The SHED, Lincoln Center, apexart, Creative Time Summit X & HQ, Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, Smack Mellon, and The Vera List Center; and internationally at the Sydney Opera House and Museum of Contemporary Art, Australia; Manila Biennale, Philippines; Art Central and Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong; Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Greece; Galerie Tanja Wagner, Germany; and Salzburger Kunstverein, Austria. Awards include the Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship in Tech-Centered Arts, NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Digital/Electronic Arts, Franklin Furnace Fund, and the American Australian Association’s AUSART Fellowship. Garcia has held residencies at the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, International Studio and Curatorial Program, Pioneer Works, Recess Arts, and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, all in New York. She earned an MFA from Parsons – The New School. Learn more about the artist at https://carolinegarcia.com.au. Photo: Alex Wisser.

Gary Dušek is an artist and designer working in the intersection of social practice, industrial design, sculpture, environmental advocacy, and circular systems. He is the director of Waste Reclamation Action Program, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding and enabling the use of waste as a resource material while addressing the larger systemic issues that encourage wasteful practices. Dušek’s studio is a circular micro factory; processing waste collected in East Harlem and the South Bronx since 2018. He founded Precious Plastic NYC in 2016 while attending Parsons School of Design and developed curriculum with faculty revolving around plastic reclamation and environmental justice. https://preciousplastic.nyc/.

Dukiewicz has exhibited at venues including GHOSTMACHINE Gallery, The Border Project Space, The Immigrant Artist Biennial (NARS Foundation) and SVA Flatiron Gallery, all in New York; Fundación Bacalarte, Warsaw, Poland; Camden Art Centre, London, UK; and the Museum of Jurassic Technology, Los Angeles, CA. Her work appeared in the inaugural 2019 exhibition at BioBAT Art Space and Sci-Art Center, NY, and during the 2018 Berlin Art and Science Week. She has received the Nessa Cohen Grant for Sculpture, a Polish Ministry of Culture grant, and held residencies at SVA Bio Art Lab and Pioneer Works in New York, and at Carlos Amorales Studio, Mexico City. Dukiewicz earned an MFA from Complutense University of Madrid and both BFA and MFA degrees from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Learn more about the arist at https://www.magdalenadukiewicz.com/,

Paul Steven Ray is a composer and performer, whose work has been presented at venues including Issue Project Room, The Stone, ShapeShifter Lab, Trans-Pecos, and Knockdown Center. He has composed for WHITENOISE V, the International Electro-Acoustic Festival, Cosmoson-Paris, CERF Festival, North River Music Series, and Composers Now. Ray has collaborated with artists such as Bora Yoon, Vernon Reid, Nate Wooley, Oblaat, Pheeroan AkLaff, Brandon Ross, Yuko Fujiyama, Cyro Baptista, and Val-Inc. He leads the ensembles BlueBlackDream, NineNine, and Double Night Wave, and has composed four operas: Sally Distance (Galapagos Art Space, with Bora Yoon), Sleeperhold (Issue Project Room), SplitRock (ShapeShifter Lab), and The Good Narrow Night (The Church of the Intercession Crypt). His recordings include DarkBright and 5 Days in February (Bandcamp), and the Parallax Trio’s debut album Conjure Steps (2022). His newest project, RE(space) with Triniti Ernest (Parable Dust: Obscure Geographies), premiered at ShapeShifter Lab in October 2024 and at Rhizome DC in November 2024. He is currently developing a large-scale, multimedia work to be staged across multiple venues. Learn more about the artist at https://www.paulstevenray.space.