Born 1978 in Bishkek, Kyrgzstan; lives and works in New York City

 

EDUCATION

 

Master of Fine Arts (2002), Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA

(American Association of University Women (AAUW) International Fellowship 2000 – 2001)

Painting

 

MA in Central European History (2000), Central European University, Budapest, Hungary

(Soros Foundation / Full Central European University MA Fellowship 1999 – 2000)

Thesis: Kazimir Malevich’s White on White

 

Bachelor of Arts in Journalism (1999), American University in Central Asia, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Summa cum laude, valedictorian

 

 

GRANTS

 

George Sugarman Foundation Grant (2007)

 

PRINCIPAL EXHIBITIONS

 

Solo show, Prince Street Gallery, NY, NY (2008)

 

New Directions ’07 (juror Jose Luis Blondet, Dia Art Foundation, NY), The Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY (2007)

 

Finalists in The Miami University National Young Sculptors Competition for the William and Dorothy Yeck Award (juror: Mary Ceruti, Executive Director, SculpureCenter, NYC), Hiestand Galleries, Miami University, Oxford OH (2007)

 

Bowery Gallery Juried Show (juror: artist John Walker), New York (2007)

 

Portraits, Self-Portraits, Gallery 402 / Organization of Independent Artists, New York, NY (2006)

 

New Directions ’05 (juror: Steven Evans, Assistant Director of the Dia Art Foundation in Beacon, NY), The Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY (2005)

 

Finalists in The Miami University National Young Sculptors Competition for the William and Dorothy Yeck Award (juror: Judith Russi Kirshner, dean of the College of Architecture and Art at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Hiestand Galleries, Miami University, Oxford OH) (2005)

 

Boston High Tea, curated by Peter Wayne Lewis, ARamona Studio Gallery, New York, NY (2005)

 

MFA Thesis Show, Bakalar Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art (2002)

    

Midway show, recent graduate work, Huntington Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art (2001)

 

International Exhibition of Emerging Artists, Jiger ’00, Almaty, Kazahstan (2000)

 

Fish-Therapy (2-person show with Konstantin Shkurpela), Bishkek (1999)

 

Exhibition Labyrinth (curated by Museum studio), Bishkek (1998)

 

International Exhibition of Emerging Artists Jiger 98, Almaty – honorable mention (1998)

 

Exhibition Portrait (curated by Kyrgyzstan Artists’ Union), Bishkek (1997)

 

Exhibition Parallel City (curated by Museum studio), Bishkek (1997)

 

Kyrgyz-Turkish Exhibition of women-artists, Bishkek (1996)

 

Solo show, Kyrgyz State Museum of Fine Arts, Bishkek (1995)

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

Studio Visit, Spring 2009 and Winter 2009

Joe Bendik, "Shkurpela's View of the World", Chelsea Clinton News, August 14, 2008

Fine Arts in Kyrgyzstan, ed. by Gamal Bonkonbaev, AUB, 2007

Chicago Art Journal, University of Chicago, 2003

The William and Mary Review, 2002, 2003

Jiger - 2000 (International Festival of Young Artists, Almaty Kazakhstan, 2000), catalogue

A. Yarkov, "Fish Therapy -  1" in: Almanac Kurak #1, Bishkek: Soros Foundation, 1999

A. Tuzov, “When fish appeared”, Vechernyi Bishkek, February 5, 1999

V. Baranov, “Fish Day”, Slovo Kyrygyzstana, February 5, 1999

Jiger - 1998 (International Festival of Young Artists, Almaty Kazakhstan, 1998), catalogue

A. Fedorov, “Labyrinth that reaches the sky,” Utro Bishkeka, May 14, 1998

Oksana Zaporozhets, “Dasha Shkurpela”, JAM, May 22, 1998

A. Yakrov, "A Talent Emerges", Kyrgyzstan Chronicle, May 1995

Elsa Tikhonova, “Young artist – Dasha Shkurpela,” Zeitung de Deutschen Kyrgzstans, May 1995

M. Pletneva, “I paint with a brush,” Vechernyi Bishkek, May 22, 1995

“Our Dasha”, Slovo Kyrgyzstana, May 22, 1995

 

 

 

The works are in private collections in Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany, the United States; in the collections of Central European University, Budapest, Hungary, and American University in Central Asia, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.