Audrey Bialke (she/her, b. 1991) makes representational paintings that engage mythology, mysticism and spirituality with contemporary concerns regarding loss of biodiversity, impending climate catastrophe, and late stage capitalism. Her work considers our long intertwined relationships with creatures and plants both real and imagined. The animals and landscapes in her paintings acknowledge our historically fraught connection with the natural world and encourage cultivating a relationship with our environment in defiance of hollow wealth and capitalistic greed. She draws inspiration from and recontextualizes imagery from illuminated manuscripts and historical illustrations. Her paintings, though at times melancholic, eerie and subtly unsettling, ultimately convey light humor, playful fantasy, and a deep admiration for the humble domestic sphere. Bialke received her BA in Visual Arts & New Media and a BA in English from SUNY Fredonia in 2013. In 2022, she participated in SPRING/BREAK Art Show’s “Naked Lunch” in her solo exhibit “Illumination Station.” She lives and works in the Finger Lakes Region of NY.

audreybialke@gmail.com