Two artists navigate the human condition through satire, juxtaposition and craft

“An Existential Inquiry,” featuring objects and sculptures by David Dann, and “What’s Left of Her,” featuring hand-cut paper drawings by Yvetta Federova, will be Delaware Valley Arts Alliance’s upcoming summer exhibitions .

Dann’s objective has been to create pieces that are readily accessible to viewers, engaging on a personal level, and easily acquired while occupying a space between artwork and commodity.

After receiving a BFA from Cornell University and an MFA from the University of Chicago in the 1970s, David Dann moved to New York City to pursue a career as an artist. Rather than exhibit his work in conventional galleries, he created small pieces in multiple editions to sell in artist-run stores and museum shops. A number of those pieces were acquired for the permanent collections of the New Museum and the Franklin Furnace in New York, as well as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.

What does love look like inside the brain? What does anger look like? How about madness? Pure joy? Vengeance? These are some of the questions Yvetta Federova asks herself when she cuts her abstract portraits using X-Acto blades and black, Fedrigoni, crafted Italian paper.

Yvetta Fedorova is a New York City-based artist and illustrator. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, she graduated from The Drama School of Theater and Film in 1990. In 1991 she immigrated to the USA. Fedorova completed her BFA from Pratt Institute in 1997. Her award-winning illustration work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, and The Society of Publication Designers. Her illustrations have regularly appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times (for many years, Fedorova illustrated Jane Brody’s weekly column), The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and many other popular magazines and newspapers. Fedorova regularly worked as a graphic journalist for Internationale Magazine, based in Rome. She recently created illustrations for an interactive exhibit at The Museum of Native Americans. Her graphic series, Karina and Me, appeared in the op-ed section of The New York Times and many other worldwide publications