{"id":536530,"date":"2026-06-15T16:15:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T16:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/536530\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T16:15:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T16:15:18","slug":"annalise-gratovichs-life-size-woodcuts-meld-nature-memory-and-ukrainian-heritage-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/536530\/","title":{"rendered":"Annalise Gratovich’s Life-Size Woodcuts Meld Nature, Memory, and Ukrainian Heritage \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the statement for Annalise Gratovich<\/a>\u2019s solo exhibition, Carrying Things From Home, the gallery poses a couple of questions: \u201cWhen war, displacement, and migration sever familial and cultural ties, how do we sustain a sense of self and ancestral connection? How do we hybridize in a new homeland?\u201d For the artist, who is based in Austin and runs High Low Print Co., her family\u2019s history informs a printmaking practice that explores deeply personal and even spiritual links to land, home, and a sense of belonging.<\/p>\n

Hecho a Mano<\/a> presents eight large-scale, hand-carved woodblock prints in Carrying Things From Home, which have been painstakingly created between 2014 and 2025. Gratovich meticulously carves totemic, matryoshka-like figures that stand nearly life-size with headdresses of flora and fauna and garments that resemble embroidered Ukrainian textiles.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cThe Fool\u201d carving<\/p>\n

The series taps into Gratovich\u2019s ancestral history, nodding to the tumult of World War II when her grandparents fled Ukraine in the cover of night with their son\u2014the artist\u2019s father\u2014and could only take what they could physically carry. \u201cWhat was lost or left behind has become a source of mystery and mythology, and through printmaking, I investigate how this absence influences my sense of self and how I value materiality,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The blocks themselves can take up to six months to carve, and then working with her team, Gratovich adds thin pieces of colorful paper through chine coll\u00e9<\/a>. \u201cFor my most recent works in the series, \u2018The Healer\u2019 and \u2018The Fool,\u2019 I prepared close to 2,000 pieces of paper,\u201d she says. \u201cThey have 69 and 70 pieces of hand dyed paper coloring each woodcut, respectively.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gratovich\u2019s serene figures coalesce with nature and symbolic objects, such as musical instruments and animals, reflected in titles like \u201cThe Builder,\u201d who holds a raptor, and \u201cThe Healer,\u201d who balances a swirling, cosmic flow of energy. And from carved block to expansive print, the process requires precision and a few helping hands. \u201cThere\u2019s a community aspect that\u2019s engaging and fun\u2014my big woodcuts require a team of four people to print,\u201d the artist tells Colossal. \u201cWe use a printing press that is over four by eight feet, and everyone is integral in the printing process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrying Things From Home continues through June 28 in Santa Fe. Gratovich is also preparing for a residency at Hello Print Friend Studios<\/a> in Chang Mai, Thailand, after which she\u2019ll be the keynote speaker at the Guild of Bookworkers<\/a>\u2019 Standards of Excellence 2026 conference. That takes place in Austin, where she also has a studio at the Canopy Austin<\/a> complex, which is open by appointment. See more on the artist\u2019s Instagram<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>Pulling \u201cThe Healer\u201d<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cThe Fool\u201d (2025), woodcut with hand-dyed chine coll\u00e9, 71 x 41 inches. Photo by Agave Print<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>Detail of \u201cThe Fool.\u201d Photo by Agave Print<\/p>\n

\"paper<\/a>Adding paper to \u201cThe Fool\u201d<\/p>\n

\"two<\/a>Adding paper to \u201cThe Fool\u201d<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cThe Builder\u201d (2017), woodcut with hand-dyed chine coll\u00e9, 71 x 41 inches. Photo by Agave Print<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cThe Hunter\u201d (2024), woodcut with hand-dyed chine coll\u00e9, 71 x 41 inches. Photo by Agave Print<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cThe Healer\u201d carving<\/p>\n

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