Like shards of stained and shattered glass, artist Marna Shopoff pieces together frames of fractured color in her non-representational artwork. Layers of paint dissect, interrupt, and intersect the once 2D space that, through Shopoff’s techniques of glazing, manipulate our perception, forming illusionary depth. The artist is interested in theories of spatial identity and the way our own individual memory changes and shapes our perception of the world and especially ourselves.

Shopoff discusses her work: “What happens when we set aside the need to represent what we see and instead respond with how we feel? To me, life is fragmented and layered, a mosaic of experiences interwoven with reflection and intuition: the places we visit, the homes we live in, the countries we explore – each overlapping and influencing one another.”

Believing in the interconnectivity of visual memory and place, her paintings explore the abstract possibilities of the affects these two elements have on each other, as well as how it affects our relationships. She explains, “My work explores whether, through art, we can share our individual perceptions.”

Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, the artist earned both her B.F.A and M.F.A at Herron School of Art and Design. She has been awarded various awards for her artwork and participated in myriad of residencies all over the world, including residencies in Italy, Norway, and, most recently, Vermont. Currently, she is represented at Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans.