Vika Adutova is a research-based visual artist working with the semiotics of landscapes. Her practice combines drawing, photography, poetry, and film. She is currently making an essay film on landscapes and their narratives based on the coastal Barents Region in Norway.
Vika was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and lives in New York. She holds a BFA from the Fashion Institute of Technology, the State University of NY, and an MFA from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. She has received support through residencies including the Atlantic Center for the Arts, the Wassaic Project, the Chashama Artist’s Residency Program, and PRAKSIS.
TAP Work:
“Through TAP, I had a teaching internship in a first-grade class at P.S. 316 Elijah G. Stroud Elementary in Brooklyn, with CWP teaching artists Nichelle Ryan and Jane Elias, who taught reciprocity of visual art and poetry. I had an internship at The Young Women’s Leadership School of Queens, with Katie Rainey, who taught creative writing in the context of social justice to the ninth grade students. I was also an intern for a half term (due to the COVID-19 closure) at P.S. 171 Peter G. Van Alst in Queens with teaching artists Chelsea Asher and Yael Ben-Zion who created projects that required collaboration between the students. Every internship inspired me and taught something unique about being a teaching artist and building a community in the classroom.”
Most Memorable TAP Moment:
“It is impossible for me to discern a single decisive moment. From day one it was evident that being a part of the program means being a part of the community. It is in itself a different way of learning. The moments I remember the most are those shared with other people during the many prompts and exercises built on collaboration and exchange. I remember being surprised and moved, and sometimes challenged. All of these experiences have been a part of what I feel the TAP program was for me – the process of learning through the community.”
Check out the lesson Vika presented with her teaching partner, Topaz Rodriguez.
