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Kristi Malakoff is a Canadian visual artist known for her intricate and transformative art installations. Born and educated in Canada, she graduated with a BFA from the Emily Carr Institute in Vancouver in 2005, where she received numerous awards, including the Governor General’s silver medal[2].
Artistic Style and Approach
Malakoff’s artistic work is characterized by several key elements:
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Transformation of Everyday Materials: She specializes in creating art from mundane objects like paper currency, cereal boxes, and hole punch circles, transforming them into complex, meaningful installations[2].
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Themes of Fantasy and Dichotomy: Inspired by childhood influences like Disney movies and books by Roald Dahl and C.S. Lewis, her work explores fantasy, escape, and the collision of dreams, desires, and destruction[2].
Notable Works
Some of her significant art pieces include:
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The Hole Punch Tower: An ascending tower made from discarded paper circles, symbolizing workplace efforts and transcendence[2].
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Maibaum: A complex installation inspired by May Pole celebrations, featuring paper children dancing around a vertical pole[2].
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Swarm and Resting Swarm: Installations exploring collective intelligence, featuring 25,000 meticulously cut paper bees[2].
International Experience
Malakoff has lived and worked in multiple countries, including:
- Berlin, Germany
- Reykjavík, Iceland
- London, England
- Moscow, Russia
She has participated in artist residencies and exhibited her work extensively across Canada, the United States, England, Germany, Mexico, and Russia[2].
Artistic Philosophy
Her work is deeply rooted in exploring contrasts and unexpected relationships between concepts, materials, and ideas. She aims to create immersive, transformative environments that challenge viewers’ perceptions and invite them to explore themes of life, death, beauty, and horror[2].
Citations
[1] https://www.kristimalakoff.com [2] https://nelsonmuseum.ca/exhibitions/kristi-malakoff-the-golden-bell/ [3] https://www.pinterest.com/moark1969/kristi-malakoff/ [4] https://joannafrankham.com/kristi-malakoff-i-salute-you/ [5] https://visualflood.com/post/striking-geometric-currency-sculptures-by-kristi-malakoff [6] https://www.tonermagazine.net/paper-sculptures-by-kristi-malakoff/ [7] https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/04/geometric-currency-sculptures-by-kristi-malakoff/ [8] https://www.facebook.com/kristi.malakoff/
Kristi Malakoff is a Canadian visual artist living abroad, most recently in Moscow and previously in Berlin, Germany, Reykjavík, Iceland and London, England where she attended the Chelsea College of Art and Design.
Kristi is a 2005 BFA graduate of the Emily Carr Institute in Vancouver where she was the recipient of many awards and scholarships, among them the Alvin Balkind Memorial Scholarship, the Helen Pitt Award and the Governor General’s silver medal for the top Emily Carr Institute graduating student of 2005. Since graduating, she has participated in artist residency programs at the Banff Centre, the Stride Gallery, Calgary, SÍM, Reykjavík, Iceland and Proekt Fabrika, Moscow, Russia. She has exhibited in an exhaustive schedule in both group and solo shows throughout Canada and in England, the US, Germany, Mexico and Russia.
- Canada Council Project Grant for Visual Artists
- Emily Carr Institute
- Sophie O’Leary
