© Maureen Drdak, Ardens Mundi 1, Inferno, 2017, Copper repoussé elements, mineral particle threads, and abraded acrylic on archival cradled wood panel, 48 x 1.5 inches.
June 8, 2022
Amie Potsic interviews artist Maureen Drdak about her Fulbright in Nepal and how the experience has affected her contemporary artwork.
“My work embodies an exploration of philosophical and cultural synthesis in which eastern and western material practices and cultural paradigms are meaningfully integrated; oppositional materials, divergent aesthetics, and symbolic language are explored and deployed in the service of transcultural bridging. Over the last decade my work has been deeply inspired by my travels in Asia—especially the Himalayas and Nepal—where I studied ancient metalworking practices with its finest living historic repose masters, the venerable descendants of Kuber Singh Shakya, a priestly family of five hundred year old celebrated lineage, decorated by the kings of Nepal. These dynamic mountain landscapes of the Himalayas are powerful metaphors for the universality of physical and cultural forces in opposition and integration, and my selection and application of materials are reflective of these protean energies in eternal congress.”
Drdak working in Nepal Atelier. Image courtesy of Maureen Drdak.
A graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the University of the Arts, Maureen Drdak is the recipient of the 2011 U.S. Fulbright Fellowship for Art in Nepal. She is the recipient of personal support from H. F. Lenfest and Eugene V. Thaw for Lung-Ta, an interdisciplinary collaborative with Philadelphia based international composer Andrea Clearfield. Her work is found in numerous public, private, museum, and university collections within the U.S. and abroad, among them the Berthe and John Ford Collection, Shelley and Donald Rubin Collection, Lynda and Stuart Resnick, and Emir Hamad Al Thani and Sheikha Mozah of Qatar. Drdak’s 2011 Fulbright Fellowship in Nepal pioneered and established the first material synthesis of repousse metalwork and contemporary painting. She studied with and continues to maintain a unique relationship with the grandsons of the famed historic repousse Master Kuber Singh Shakya; her teacher and colleague is Kuber Singh’s second grandson, Master Rabindra Shakya of Okubahal, Patan, Nepal. Her exhibition history includes national and international venues, arts festivals and museum and academic lecture venues by invitation. She has several published works to her credit, including international arts magazines and peer review journals. Drdak is recent past President of the Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and currently Advisor to the Board. Drdak is represented by Independent Art Consultants in the United States and Europe, and Asia.
MAUREEN DRDAK
© Maureen Drdak, Atman 7, 2021, Copper repousse elements, mineral particles, and abraded acrylic with 23.5K gold on archival cradled wood tondo panel, 36 x 1 inches.
© Maureen Drdak, Ardens Mundi 4, Tempestatis, 2019, Copper repoussé elements, mineral particle threads, and abraded acrylic on archival cradled wood panel, 48 x 1.5 inches. Private Collection.
© Maureen Drdak, Ardens Mundi 2, Conflatura, 2018, Copper repoussé elements, mineral particle threads, and abraded acrylic on archival cradled wood panel, 48 x 1.5 inches. Private Collection.
© Maureen Drdak, Aeolus, 2019, Copper repoussé elements, abraded acrylic and mineral particles on archival cradled wood tondo, 36 x 1.5 inches. Private Collection, Italy.
© Maureen Drdak, Ardens Mundi 3, Dessico, 2018, Copper repoussé elements, mineral particle threads, and abraded acrylic on archival cradled wood panel, 48 x 1.5 inches.
To learn more about Maureen Drdak, visit: www.maureendrdak.com or follow her on Instagram @m.drdak.