Information

Katya Vaz was born in 1999 in Moscow, Russia. She grew up and currently works in New Orleans. Her practice centers around the transformation of physical locales by one’s emotional connection to them depicted by reminiscent imagery, as if looking into someone’s memories.

Having been raised between Moscow, Russia, and New Orleans, Louisiana—two distinct cultures and languages—I have been acutely aware of the concept of locality from a young age. Drawing inspiration from memories tied to place, I explore the emotional and physical connection to culture and the environment that cultivated it, and how they have, in turn, shaped me.

Culture and locality are intricately linked, as the environment in which one is raised profoundly influences cultural identity and expression. Locality encompasses the physical, social, and historical contexts that shape daily life and collective memory. These local contexts imbue cultural practices with distinct meanings and forms, making them unique to specific places. The two become reflexive of each other, allowing characteristics such as landscapes, climate, and traditions to inform an individual’s experience. By exploring this relationship, my work delves into how the tangible aspects of a place contribute to the development of personal identity.

My work mainly consists of works on paper. By combining graphite and charcoal drawings with papermaking, cyanotype, and printmaking techniques, I represent the linguistic aspect of my work, using different techniques as various phrases to express the idea. These phrases come together to form a complete concept. Much like in the natural world, where nothing exists in isolation, my works inform and build on each other, creating their own dialogue.

The processes I employ are rooted in natural principles with many having the ability to be proliferated, much like the natural world’s cycles and patterns. Papermaking, for instance, mimics the organic process of growth and transformation, while cyanotype’s use of sunlight evokes the natural interplay of light and time. By employing these methods, I not only reflect the iterative and interconnected nature of the environment but also create works that can be replicated and expanded. This multiplicity mirrors the way natural and cultural systems evolve and interact, reinforcing the idea that nothing exists in isolation but rather as part of a dynamic and interconnected whole.

2017-2021
Loyola University New Orleans
Bachelor of Design with minor in French

Awards & Exhibitions

2025
artist in residence
Fulbright-Harriet Hale Woolley Grant 2025-2026
Fondation des États-Unis, Paris, France

group exhibition, “Refreshing America”
Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans, New Orleans, LA

co-curator+preparator, “Atis Rezistans”
The Historic BK House & Gardens, New Orleans, LA

artist in residence
The Brackish Artist Collective
The Water Collective, New Orleans, LA

2024
solo exhibition, “Go I know not where”
Good Children Gallery, New Orleans, LA

artist in residence
Joan Mitchell Center, New Orleans, LA

co-curator & graphic designer, “Haiti-Louisiana: Tides of Freedom”
Historic BK House & Garden, New Orleans LA
United Nations, New York City, NY

group show, “Louisianais.e”
Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette, LA

2023
exhibition design, “300 Years of French and Creole Histories”
Historic BK House & Gardens, New Orleans, LA
Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France

2022
group show, “Louisianais.e”
West Baton Rouge Museum, Baton Rouge, LA

2021
group show, “...for our consideration”
The Front, New Orleans, LA

group show, “After”
Diboll Gallery, New Orleans, LA

2019
group show for Vans “Off The Wall”
Cafe Istanbul, New Orleans, LA

2018
group show, “Nature by Design”
Loyola University Design Department, New Orleans, LA

2017
group show, “Continued Dreamers”
5 Press Gallery, New Orleans, LA

group show, “Revoir”
Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans, New Orleans, LA