Seeing for the first time since childhood… presents an exhibition of recent paintings by Inna Kulagina. The exhibition opens on Monday, June 28, 2010, at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts in Nebraska City.

Kulagina attributes most of her aesthetic awareness to the places she has lived or worked as an artist. These diverse places gave her the opportunity to look at art from the viewpoints of different cultures, in different economies and political systems. She grew up in former Soviet Central Asia which introduced her to artists such as Nicholai Sergeivich Shin and David Alfaro Sequeiros, as well as 19th century Romanticism and art of the early 20th century. Living in Honduras and Germany shaped her fascination with color and how emotions are expressed through varying shades and hues on the canvas. Coming to the United States created a new and different backdrop for the work.

Perhaps more importantly though was the change in the landscape of her family with the birth of her son. Now, Kulagina says that she, “look(s) at the world through a more maternal perspective. My art has become more a mirror of myself, of what is going on within me, the mirror of my love of this world and what discoveries are waiting for me behind each canvas.” Her new work expresses a sense of belongingness and connectivity with loved ones - past, present and future.

Inna Kulagina works as an art instructor and studio artist in Omaha, Nebraska. She has had solo exhibitions in the United States, UK (London), Germany (Lubeck) and Uzbekistan (Tashkent) as well as inclusion in group exhibitions in China (Beijing), Korea (Seoul), Honduras, and Kazakhstan (Almaty). Her work is in public and private collections around the world. In 2008, she was inducted into the Society of Artists of the Union of Artists of Uzbekistan at the Academy of Fine Arts. Membership in this society is the most prestigious honor in the former USSR afforded experienced artists in recognition of their professional success.

The public is invited to meet Inna Kulagina at a reception on Thursday, July 8, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Seeing for the first time since childhood… will remain on exhibit through Thursday, August 12.