fbpx
Masha Morgunova Records Her Life in ‘The City That Never Sleeps’ cover

Masha Morgunova Records Her Life in ‘The City That Never Sleeps’

Withered flower petals fallen from a bouquet past its prime. Trash bags waiting for pickup from New York City sanitation. A fleeting expression on the face of a loved one.

As time zooms by, emerging NYC-based artist Masha Morgunova keeps her SLR-680 polaroid camera close at hand. Snapping everything from mundane moments to sublime highs, Masha uses photography to record her life in “The City That Never Sleeps.” “I have been using this medium as a way to construct a tangible visual diary that allows me to observe what has been of interest to me at a given time and record moments of intimacy with people, objects, and my surroundings,” she explains in her artist statement.

Emerging artist Masha Morgunova’s polaroid collection documents three years of life in NYC, ranging from spectacularly dull to supremely tender.
‘aged lily’

Masha maintains a more traditional studio practice of painting, sculpture, and silicone casting that ebbs and flows, but photography remains her most consistent creative outlet since being gifted the camera in 2019. As the project grows, disparate images—banana peels, the seashell curve of an ear, dark eyes fenced by white flowers—become greater than the sum of their parts, the details blurred by long shutter speeds and the passage of time. Intimate and inviting, Masha’s expanding collection of polaroids transforms her city life into a haunting meditation on longing, nostalgia, womanhood, and desire.

If you’re in the New York area, Masha’s figurative work appears in Ignite, BAU Gallery’s annual juried show, on display through September 4.

Intimate and inviting, Masha’s expanding collection of polaroids transforms her city life into a haunting meditation on longing, nostalgia, womanhood, and desire.

Emerging artist Masha Morgunova’s polaroid collection documents three years of life in NYC, ranging from spectacularly dull to supremely tender.
‘another orchid one’
Emerging artist Masha Morgunova’s polaroid collection documents three years of life in NYC, ranging from spectacularly dull to supremely tender.
‘my love’
‘matelli studio trash I’
Emerging artist Masha Morgunova’s polaroid collection documents three years of life in NYC, ranging from spectacularly dull to supremely tender.
‘nyc home trash’
‘nyc trash’
‘times square’
‘in the bathroom garden’
‘california swimmer’
‘gracie’s back, my earring’
‘circular motion’

Masha Morgunova: Website | Instagram

All photos published with permission of the artist(s).

Want to be featured on NOT REAL ART? Email editor@notrealart.com with a short introduction and a link to your online portfolio or three images of your work.

Jenna Eberhardt

Jenna Eberhardt (she/her/hers) is NOT REAL ART’s associate editor. Jenna is a writer and working artist from Asheville, NC, who specializes in watercolor botanicals and dreamy moonscapes. A true night owl, Jenna enjoys a minimum of two cups of coffee per day and isn’t afraid of the dark when she’s up late painting. As a registered yoga instructor with a background in health and wellness, Jenna believes in the brain-boosting power of a regular mindfulness practice, regarding rest and relaxation as a necessary part of the creative process.

>
0 Shares
Email
Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
Flip
Buffer
WhatsApp