Biography

Natalia Schonowski

Natalia Schonowski was born to a Colombian mother and a German father in Bogota, Colombia in 1984.Throughout her early years, she lived in various places including Nigeria, Germany, Ecuador, Dominican Republic and now Miami. She came to the United States in 2000 where she started pursuing a career in art. She received an Associate Degree in Arts in Visual Arts from Miami Dade College and her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Mixed Media from Florida International University.

[Content provided by Natalia Schonowski] 

CV

Natalia Schonowski

Education

2007 - Bachelors of Fine Arts (B.F.A) with Minor in Art History, Florida International University, U.S.A.
2004 - Associate of Arts (A.A.), Miami Dade College, Miami, Florida, U.S.A.
2002 - High School Diploma, Allison Academy, Miami, Florida, U.S.A.
2000 - Carol Morgan School, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 

Related Education

2007 - Ongoing   W-10 Workshops, Yovani Bauta, Miami, Florida
1996 - 1998  Figure Drawing and Oil Painting, Ricardo Florsheim, Guayaquil, Ecuador
1993 - 1996  Drawing and Painting, Ludwig Rodriguez, Bogota, Colombia 

Group Exhibits

2008 - Virgins and Altars, MiArte Gallery, Coral Gables, FL
2008 - I Do, I Do, curated by Yovani Bauta, Tower Theater, Miami, FL
2008 - Between Lines 2nd International Artists Biennale in St. Maarten, curated by Rosie Gordon Wallace, Phillisburg Art Center, St. Maarten
2008 - Evolution of Involution, Diaspora Vibe Gallery, Miami Design District, FL
2008 - Women by Women, MDC Wolson Campus, Miami, FL
2008 - Fiber and Paper, MiArte Gallery, Miami, FL
2007 - Safety Zones Diaspora Vibe Gallery, curated by Rosie Gordon-Wallace, Miami, FL
2007 - Obj-Art, Color Alternative, curated by Yovani Bauta Miami, Florida
2007 - Safety Blanket 2, I.D. Art, Wynwood, Florida.
2007 - Safety Blanket, I.D. Art, Miami, Florida
2007 - Art of Uncertainty, Fabri-K and Edge Zones, San Salvador, El Salvador
2007 - Student Exhibition, Miami Dade Interamerican Campus, Miami, Florida
2007 - I DO, I DO, curated by Yovani Bauta, Alternative Color, Miami, Florida
2007 - Alternative Space, curated by Juan Griego, Kunst Motel, Miami Florida
2007 - Alternative Space, curated by Juan Griego, Kunst Motel, Miami, Florida
2007 - FIU BFA Spring 2007 Exhibition, Frost Museum, Miami, Florida
2007 - FIU Student Government Student Art Fair, University Park, Miami, Florida 
2007 - FIU Annual Student Show, Curated by Frederic Snitzer, Frost Museum, Miami, Florida.
2006 - Crack House by Dorsch Gallery, Wynwood, Miami, Florida
2005 - FIU Student Show, University Campus, Miami, Florida
2003 - Miami Dade Student Show, Miami Dade Wolfson Campus, Miami, Florida  

Awards and Grants

2007 - Tigertail Productions Miami Dade Grant (October 2007)
2007 - Magna Cum Laude, FIU (May 2007)
2007 - Outstanding Academic Achievement from the Department of Arts (May 2007)
2004 - 2007 - Dean's List, (3 Years) FIU
2004 - 2006 Honors College Scholarship, FIU
2004 - Magna Cum Laude, Miami-Dade College (2004)
2002 - 2004 Dean's List (2 Years), Miami Dade College
2003, 2004 - Environmental Fellowship, Miami Dade College
2004 - Salzburg Citizen of the World Seminar 2004, Miami Dade College, Miami, FL
2002 - 2004 Honors College Scholarship, Miami Dade College, Miami, FL
2002 - Valedictorian, Allison Academy (May 2002)
2002 - President's Award, Allison Academy (May 2002)
2000, 2002 - High Honors (2 Years) Allison Academy
2002 - Excellence Student Award, Allison Academy and Miami Dade Private Schools, FL
2001 - High Honors, Allison Academy, Miami, FL
2000 - High Honors, Allison Academy, Miami, FL 

Bibliography and Interviews

Miami Sunpost, Art and Culture Sec., December 5th, 2007
La Prensa Grafica, Puentes Artisticos de Miami al Salvador, sec. Cultura Agosto 2007 Miami Art Guide, May/June 2007 Quiereme Descalzi, AmericaTeve, May 8th, 2007, 4:00pm-6:00pm. 

Curatorial Experience

2008 - Bound-2008, Diaspora Vibe Gallery
2008 - Coordinating International Exhibit in St. Martin for 2008, Diaspora Vibe Gallery, Miami, Forida
2008 - Danca das Cores Na Nacao Zumbi, Diaspora Vibe Gallery, Miami, Florida
2007 - Safety Zones, concurrent with Art Basel, Diaspora Vibe Gallery, Miami, Florida.
2007 - Art Off The Main, Puck Building, New York, NY, Diaspora Vibe Gallery,Miami, Florida
2007 - Work!, Popopstudios, Miami, FL, Diaspora Vibe Gallery, Miami, Florida 

Related Experience

May 2007 - Ongoing
Diaspora Vibe Gallery
Program Coordinator
Program coordination and personal assistance for Diaspora Vibe Gallery and Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator. 

August 2007 - Ongoing 
Professor Pip Brant
Personal Assistant 
Assistance with personal fiber projects such as embroidery and crocheting.

June 2005 - July 2005     
Professor Kate Kretz
Personal Assistant      
Assistance in personal fiber project, embroidery of hair. 

Jan. 2004 - Dec.2004     
Wolfsonian FIU    
Student Internship      
Organizing Museum Files, Information research for exhibitions.

[Content provided by Natalia Schonowski]

Gallery 1

Natalia Schonowski

Identity is the set of characteristics that somebody recognizes as belonging uniquely to himself or herself and constituting his or her individual personality for life. In philosophy, personal identity refers to the essence of a self-conscious person, that which makes him or her uniquely what they are at any one point in time, and which further persists over time despite superficial modifications, making him or her the same person at different points in time. Everyone seeks his or her identity. This is the question that I address in my latest pieces. Whether it is identity through a passport, through the family tree or through gender and their roles in society, we as human beings are always asking ourselves where we come from and where we are headed. I do not try to answer these questions through my work, but rather to analyze and expose these situations through familiar objects and images, such as passports, family photographs, social situations and images and other personal ephemera. The notion of the self is not perceived at a same constant; it fluctuates through the years and the obstacles and experiences that come our way. But most importantly, our identity is not only created by what we think of ourselves, but also, by what other people think of us. There is identity of the self and there is also what other people perceive as your identity. In this day and age, where people are becoming more and more bi-racial, bi-cultural, and more mixed, defining oneself through different lenses is a necessity that we all face. It has become more culturally acceptable to be mixed; if anything, it is to some extent praised. As far as gender roles are concerned, they have also dramatically changed in the past fifty years, and people are still struggling to come to terms with them. In my work I have addressed some of these issues about culture, ethnic background, and gender and how these notions of identity can create discomfort, harm or how they can benefit an individual. As my work progresses, I would like to include not only my own experiences, but that of other people whom others have felt the need to classify in a specific category; whether they are male or female, black, white, yellow, brown, etc, through their cultural and ethnic background, socio-economic status, nationality, etc. There are no right answers to what our identity is, it shifts, and as we grow, our perceptions change about who we are and how we relate to our environment and other people. [Content provided by Natalia Schonowki]

Safety Blanket 1	Safety Blanket 2
Safety Blanket 3	Passport

 

Gallery 2

Visceral 1	Visceral 2
Aegis 1	Aegis 2
Aegis 3

 

Gallery 3

Perpetual Atomic Cafe 1	Perpetual Atomic Cafe 2
Perpetual Atomic Cafe 3