The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is featuring a new exhibit by graduating student Yelena Petroukhina.

Petroukhina’s exhibit, “Garden Dwellers,” will be on display at the Ann Maners and Alex Pappas Gallery at the Windgate Center of Art and Design.

There will be a public talk at 5 p.m. April 28 in Windgate Center Room 101 and virtually via Zoom. There will also be a reception following the talk from 6-8 p.m.

Petroukhina was born in Bryansk, Russia, and started art school when she was 10 years old. She received a degree in art and art education from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and has been pursuing a career in visual arts since then. She will graduate with a master’s degree in visual arts from UA Little Rock in May.

“I create ceramic sculptures to interpret the internal conflict between internalized social conditioning and the search for my authentic self,” Petroukhina said. “I base these interpretations on personal experience and use ceramic Russian folk toys as a reference to the traditional views of femininity and social conditioning experienced by women.”

She magnifies her sculptures to make them more imposing and claim physical space. She paints the objects based on her own stories and culture.

“The inspiration for my work comes from reflecting on my heritage and the myriad of historical, cultural, and societal factors that influenced the person I turned out to be,” Petroukhina said.

To see more of her work, visit her website here.