Dana Peska’s debut body of work represents a microcosm of collective memory, visually encapsulating a broad range of cultural, literary, and historical allusions—from slavery, the plight and majesty of Native American perseverance, to the culmination of years of generational trauma. 

Inspired by the legacy of suffering, Peska reflects upon America’s identity and history. Fusing art and history, light and shadow with oil on canvas and three dimensional, fully immersive experiences, Peska engages the complex events of history and the ancestral epics of inequality and injustice, grappling with the impact on today’s world. Her boundless repertoire of imagery is paralleled only by the breadth of media palpable in the short history of her work. 

Peska’s oeuvre encompasses paintings, installations, illustrations, and an array of works on paper such as drawings and watercolors. The physical elements of her practice—from paint, concrete, and canvas to textiles and dried plants—are as symbolically resonant as they are vast-ranging. By integrating, expanding, and regenerating imagery and techniques, she brings to light the importance of the shadows of American history on our daily life. 

Peska was born to an immigrant family, and lived in a small suburb outside of Chicago. As a self-trained artist, she now works from her studio in Tampa.