KARINA PUUFFIN — 1997

Visual artist based in The Netherlands

About

Through her light-hearted humour and juxtaposition of low and high art, Puuffin’s practice reacts to the conventions and pretensions that often permeate the art world. By pushing painting beyond the canvas into physical space and exploring it as a zestful process of transformation, her work navigates the delicate balance between construction and deconstruction, engaging in a dynamic interplay of form and dimension. The bold outlines, bright colours, and clumsy shapes serve as a form of disarmament, inviting viewers to question their expectations and established hierarchies, embracing a broader perspective on art.

Puuffin plays with the idea of “framing.” In Ukrainian, the word "рамки" (frames) is closely associated with borders, boundaries, and limits. This reflects how she often perceived art in her home country — conservatively defined, put in a box, and regulated whithin established traditional values. By examining the standards of display, materiality, and artistic value, the artist seeks to blur these fixed concepts of frames — both in a literal sense and in the definitions of art — challenging the structures of art institutions as well as wider cultural, economic, and social systems.

CV

education

Minerva Art AcademyGroningenThe Netherlands
BA (with honours) Fine Arts

2016

2020

solo exhibitions

Kunstruimte H47LeeuwardenThe Netherlands
My child could make that

04.08 - 25.08

2023

Off HookGroningenThe Netherlands
ARE YOU STILL THERE?

06.01 - 17.02

2023

group exhibitions

Ahoy RotterdamThe Netherlands
ProspectsArt Rotterdam

27.03 - 30.03

2025

PicturaDordrechtThe Netherlands
Escaleren!

10.01 - 21.01

2024

Stichting WEPGroningenThe Netherlands
SEEN #12duo with Lieve van Meegen

24.11 - 24.11

2023

Stichting WEPGroningenThe Netherlands
WEP Salon

24.03 - 06.04

2023

MondriaanhuisAmersfoortThe Netherlands
Onbegrensd

04.09 - 05.03

2022

2023

Museum EICAS PreviewDeventerThe Netherlands
Zomerexpositieduo with Jan de Bruin

30.07 - 25.09

2022

Afslag BLVdependency of Museum BelvédèreHeerenveenThe Netherlands
Equidistance

05.06 - 14.08

2022

Frame.de.galerieAmersfoortThe Netherlands
New Generation 3.0

27.02 - 17.04

2022

Galerie PouloeuffNaarden-VestingThe Netherlands
Spacemakers #4

26.09 - 31.10

2021

Galerie NoordGroningenThe Netherlands
Kunstsalon IJL

30.05 - 20.06

2021

Het HemZaandamThe Netherlands
ALL INN

31.03 - 04.04

2021

ArtphyWessinghuizenThe Netherlands
Jong Talent 2020

20.03 - 25.04

2021

Ron Mandos GalleryAmsterdamThe Netherlands
Best of Graduates 2020

28.10 - 20.11

2020

Minerva Art AcademyGroningenThe Netherlands
Tales of The UnseenGraduation Show

14.09 - 17.09

2020

Galerie DSGAssenThe Netherlands
Manifestatie Jong IV

04.09 - 14.11

2020

Amsterdam & The HagueThe Netherlands
NEST Call(s) for Graduates

01.07 - 12.07

2020

De LoodsGroningenThe Netherlands
Green Lights

10.02 - 13.02

2020

VRIJDAGGroningenThe Netherlands
Do Not Touch

07.06 - 14.06

2019

Minerva Art AcademyGroningenThe Netherlands
Third Year Expo 2019

07.03 - 13.03

2019

residencies

OisterwijkThe Netherlands
(upcoming) EKWCEuropean Ceramics Work & Research Centre

16.10 - 14.01

2025

2026

AntwerpBelgium
Kieken Centrale

14.04 - 26.04

2024

Galerie PouloeuffNaarden VestingThe Netherlands
Spacemakers #4 & Keep an Eye Foundation

30.08 - 25.09

2021

honours

nomination

Galerie Pouloeuff Stipendium

2025

awarded grant

Mondriaan Fund Artist Start

2023

nomination

Academie Minerva Prijs voor Beeldende Kunst

2020

nomination

Buning Brongers Prijzen

2020

nomination

RM Young Blood Award

2020

features

Publication "Equidistance" with Ottokaji Iroke and Celina Bermudez Vogensen

2022

Flea Circus Magazine Volume 1

2020

art related activities

auction

This Art Fair x Dead Darlings #19| PAKT Foundation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

11.07 - 14.07

2024

internship

Assisting Kaneli&Smit with their project Turning Tide – Water Panorama| Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

05.03 - 15.03

2018