Arts & Entertainment

Yorktown Sculptor to Exhibit Work at Javits Center

Lila Turjanski-Villard is among 250 artists whose work will be on display at the Contemporary Art Fair from Oct. 19 to Oct. 21.

Lila Turjanski-Villard, a Yorktown Heights resident, will exhibit her sculptures at the Contemporary Art Fair, a juried fine art show, taking place at the Javits Center in New York City from Oct. 19 to Oct. 21.

She has participated in the show for the last two years and said she was excited to be exhibiting there again. The Contemporary Art Fair NYC exhibitors include established and emerging painters, photographers, sculptors and artists working in mixed media. 

"The Javits Center is a great venue and this show is a great opportunity for independent artists to display their work," Turjanski-Villard said.

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Turjanski-Villard was born in Argentina, where she studied clay sculpture in private studios for more than 10 years. Once living in the United States, she took classes in contemporary sculpture at the Westchester Art Workshop and explored new materials.

In 2005, she started to experiment with paper – mixed media sculpture to continue her creative journey. Currently, her work is exhibited at art galleries and art shows.

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"We look for exceptional work, execution, and style and pick the most compelling, creative, gifted artists and artisans from the thousands we see every year," Richard Rothbard said.

Turjanski-Villard's artist statement, which is posted on her website, reads:

My sculpture and my dance have been two passions in my life since I was a kid. The memories of that dance are stamped in my pieces. The themes of movement, space and communication are constantly present in my artwork. I like to explore the suggestions of bodies in communication, in movement and in rhythm with space.

I enjoy working with materials such as wire and paper. They are a good vehicle I have found to express my themes. Moreover, I am fascinated to see how paper gets transformed to final destinations far from its original daily use.

The completion of the piece is in the interpretation of the viewer once it becomes independent of my creative process.

Turjanski-Villard's sculptures are made of different materials including paper and wire. The surface of the piece is composed of pieces of paper glued around the core structure. The sculptures are painted and then coated with a protective sealer.

In her latest exhibit, she will bring table, floor and wall sculptures. In them she said she explores the suggestions of the human figure in communication, movement and rhythm with space.

"A big component of my inspiration is my [childhood] memory of dancing– which has been another passion in my life besides sculpture," the Yorktown woman said. 

When she was 5 years old and still living in Argentina, Turjanski-Villard began taking sculpture classes. At the same time she began taking "expression corporal" dance classes – a dance based on improvisation that finds harmony in the movement of discovering your own body.

"These two passions are integrated in my artwork through those movement recollections," she said.

Turjanski-Villard said she enjoys being surprised by her own artwork.

"For instance, sometimes I finish a piece and find it more interesting turning it upside-down," she said. "In addition, when I finish a wall sculpture and hang it on the wall the light generates shadows which add a new dimension to the three dimensional sculpture. It also delights me when a viewer has a different interpretation of a piece than mine."

The artist received a degree in Psychology from the University of  Buenos Aires, Argentina. She holds a Masters Degree in Management of Nonprofit Organizations from New York University.

Turjanski-Villard  lives in Yorktown Heights with her husband and their two children.

The Contemporary Art Fair NYC in conjunction with the American Craft Show NYC will be held Oct. 19-21 at the Javits Center. Tickets are $14 for adults, $13 for seniors and $8 for students; children (10 and under) go in for free. Hours are Friday, Oct. 19, 2pm - 7pm; Saturday, Oct. 20, 10am - 7pm; and Sunday, Oct. 21, 10am - 4pm.

For more information about the sculptor, check out her website.

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