Melissa Dadourian is a Hudson Valley and Brooklyn based artist. She received a BFA from Pratt Institute and an MFA from Hunter College. She has been awarded residencies and fellowships at Dieu Donné, MASS MoCA, Vermont Studio Center, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Hewnoaks, Textile Arts Center, American Academy in Rome and Citè Internationale des Artes in Paris. Dadourian has exhibited internationally including New York, Chicago, Connecticut, Texas, Armenia, and Brazil. Recently she has been included in exhibitions at Gold/montclair*, NJ; L’Space, NYC; the Dorsky Museum, NY; MoCA Westport, CT; ACCEA/Yerevan, Armenia; Albany Airport, NY; Cedar Crest College, PA; and the University of Buffalo, NY; forthcoming inclusion in exhibitions at Susan Eley Galleries in Hudson, NY as well as Bravin Lee Projects in NYC. / / / Her work exists at the intersection of painting, object making, and immersive installation. Utilizing vintage threads, hand-dyed fabrics, paint, and clay, she embraces the tension and contradictions that coexist. What is soft is also firm, what is loose is also tight, and what is masculine is also feminine. Through this exploration, she expands the boundaries of what a painting can actually be.