I’m So Angry It Hurts 2020, Embroidery Floss on Monk Floss (9” x 9”)

Too Many Bad Days 2021, Punch Needle, Glass Beads on Monk’s Cloth, 9” x 9”

Get Well 2020, Embroidery Floss on Monk’s Cloth (9” x 9”)

OOPS I’m Happy, 2021 Punch Needle, Glass Beads on Monk’s Cloth (9” x 9”)

Cut The Head Off The Snake, 2020 Punch Needle, Glass Beads on Monk’s Cloth (9” x 9”)

Another Morning Comes, 2021 Punch Needle, Glass Beads on Monk’s Cloth  (9” x 9”)

Isabella Kurkulis puts her introspection on display, offering raw emotional sentiments that have been delicately punched into carefully finished needlework patches. The arresting phrases these patches contain — “I’m so angry it hurts” and “too many bad days,” among others — challenge the viewer. They are an open admission of struggle, something so often hidden. Her works also provide a visual challenge, in some places almost indistinguishable from the background. The pieces require active engagement and close looking, encouraging the viewer to peer into an inner world as they pause and reflect on both the works and the words they display. 

Isabella Kurkulis’ work appears in Retro/Intro.