Biographical details: Marlena Novak divides her time between her Amsterdam and Chicago studios creating work for exhibits in Europe and the United States. Recent gallery exhibits include: Berlin, Köln, Amsterdam, Enschede, New York and Chicago. The Mary and Leigh Block Museum (IL), premiered the multimedia collaborative performance Thresholds, supported by a Grant from Northwestern University CIRA (Center for Interdisciplinary Research in the Arts). This consisted of Novak's computer-generated video installation, with live components of music and text. In addition, she has worked with the encaustic technique since the late 70’s; her encaustic work is the subject of the documentary film, Marlena Novak: Surfaces in Transition. Since 1986 Novak has taught a variety of studio art and theory courses at DePaul University, Northwestern University and the University of New Mexico. Her geometrical abstraction and color-based work has long been concerned with an awareness of intangible thresholds through the exploration of visual perception. It addresses the concept of a dynamically-balanced circular unity in its simultaneously rigorous and playful exploration of Dadaist deference to the law of chance and Constructivism’s rationally-motivated actions. Her encaustic work has an international audience and is represented by galleries in Berlin, Köln, the Netherlands and Chicago. detailed resume statements images video		“Marlena Novak seems to defy any of the standard labels. Her paintings incorporate abstracted images that evolve into ideograms with intuitively symbolic significance. One senses that there is a profound experience behind each picture, a nonverbal reference to some large chunk of life’s spiritual events. Her art is serious and she is cultivating it carefully for the long run.” Andy Argyropoulos, Art Critic; New Art Examiner, December 1990 (pg 43) Contact details: (address to follow) Tel: (to follow) email: jaymar@northwestern.edu