Maya Skarzenski creates creatures out of soft sculptures called Wonks. These creatures are trapped between contradictory roles; they are harmless and insidious, anxious and excited, independent and codependent, symbiotic and parasitic. Together they act as organs but they separate to become individuals. Tied to each other, they protect themselves while falling victim to their own masochism. They are afraid of themselves yet they cling on to each other for security. As abstract as they are they become symbols of sexuality, physical health, and identity. Wonks become the physical manifestations of our ambivalence and contradictions. Their softness and inability to hold shape open our minds to change and flexibility. They are relics of the inconsistencies of our inner monologues. They reinsert the fluidity in our lives we are told to ignore and oversimplify. They are the unformed bodies in a constant state of flux.

Crépuscule, 2023

for C2: Create and Curate Award

Fashion Art Toronto , 2023

Installation for Keep it Alive, 2021

Lively Abattoir

2020

Hanging soft sculpture.


Small compositions

2019-2020

Symbiosis

2019

Collaborative installation with Maya Skarzenski, Forest van Winkle, Danielle Coleman, and Madison Rose


Curated by Maya Skarzenski

Latent

2019 

Soft sculptures, paint skins and embroidery floss


Creature Comfort

2019

Installation at Dorothy Hoover Library

Infestation

2018

Soft sculptures and paint stickers

Using Format