Collection: Isabella Saranchuk

Isabella Saranchuk is an acrylic painter, a graduating studio arts student from Brock University and the recipient of the 13th Street Winery Award in 2022. Her work challenges traditional notions of portraiture. By appropriating compositions from historical art, she prompts viewers to consider: who is portraiture reserved for? Glorifying modern, everyday activities with vivid colours and grand poses. The dramatically pigmented palette, once a luxury revered for royalty, now explores themes of kitsch and garishness. Saranchuk’s work questions the foreign, superficial, and feminine connotations of colour in recent history, offering an unapologetically feminist perspective. Through her art, she highlights how the decoration and individuality of objects enrich our everyday lives. The work asks viewers to seek humor, joy, and vibrancy in the mundane.