Selina Doroshenko: No No No No Limits
May to July 2025
Assorted Fabric, Reactive Dye, Screen Printing Ink
Opening Reception May 10 6-8pm
928 NW 21st Ave, Gainesville, Florida
Artist Statement
No No No No Limits imagines Pennant Place as an impactful space to showcase Doroshenko’s solo work. The No No No No Limits series encourages the dedication to dreams, the affirmation of growth mindset, and the exertion to set healthy boundaries. No No No No Limits emblazons its message to reflect on the importance of words and communication for social interaction, as well as messages going on in one’s consciousness.
In terms of dedication to dreams, the three No Limits banners are formed of recycled fabric, explicitly screen-printed with the syllables: No, Lim, and Its. As a child, Doroshenko learned how to speak before she learned how to talk, and was taught that breaking down words into syllables improves pronunciation and understanding. In her mind, imagining the words “No Limits” broken down into syllables turns them into more powerful bricks. Akin to when The Price is Right presents the car split into three cards in a Pricing Game, visualizing each part separately makes it more satisfying to imagine as a whole. Then the positive affirmation, No Limits, is able to take greater shape and power in her mind, as chunky and full as the text from SchoolHouse Rock. The banners are the matrix that holds the powerful syllables, and shapes the words to be seen at a large scale. This is meant to be a bold statement about seeing dreams through.
In regards to the affirmation of growth mindset, a hefty portion of the fabric is deadstock from Under Armour that was donated to the MICA Fiber Department. With that being said, the series has a flexible and athletic feel, what with the mesh jersey and the four-way stretch fabric. Different weights of fabric rectangles are sewn together into large banners, spelling out No Lim Its. Testing out fabric’s relationships to one another is spontaneous, moving, and lively. Embracing challenges, adapting to change, accepting failure as part of the process, is celebrated in the No No No No Limits show.
Insofar as setting boundaries, having lived with porous boundaries, it has been difficult for Doroshenko to set social and emotional limits. Yet, art has always been a place for her to be daring, imaginative, and have endless possibilities. Negotiating where to draw the line, in art and in life, is what No Limits presents a new slant on. Encouraging viewers to speak out and say no, to set aside time for themselves, and to imagine and realize their dreams is very important. There is strength in setting boundaries, and saying no to someone can be saying yes to oneself. Interaction can be fun and enjoyable, if it feels nonviolent in nature. No Limits is partially inspired by the video game, Pac-Man. The game was designed to appeal to women, to be nonviolent and to be cute. In her previous work as an elementary-middle school teacher, Doroshenko witnessed violence routinely, whether it was verbal, emotional, or physical. Her work imagines a world where modes of conduct can feel safe and enjoyable, to promote courage. Courage to see a project follow through, to walk out of the house everyday, can be hard if there are many negative messages floating around in the mind. No Limits attests that the frame of mind can change.
Curatorial Statement
No No No No Limits leans towards a vision of thriving, adaptable futures built through care, resistance, and imagination. Selina’s banners are stitched from reclaimed athletic fabrics and printed with “no limits” in various syllabic iterations. Drawing from early experiences with speech, she transforms language into a modular, buildable system, offering an alternative framework for growth rooted in play, protection, and persistence.
The materials themselves carry a story of transformation. Upcycled mesh and jersey fabrics are transformed into sculptural forms that stretch, breathe, and move. This material responsiveness mirrors the mindset the work invites: one that embraces change, accepts failure as part of the process, and holds boundaries. Saying “no” here becomes not a rejection, but a path to self-definition and collective sustainability.
In a world saturated with noise and demands, Selina imagines deliberate, joyful, and grounded communication. It shares a Solarpunk ethos—repurposing what’s available, rejecting violence, and making room for futures shaped by mutual care. The work speaks to the power of soft materials and strong boundaries, where dreams don’t just survive, they
Artist Biography
Selina Doroshenko is an artist engaged with fiber, human behavior, and the everyday. She is an adjunct professor of Drawing at Goucher College, Towson, Maryland. At the Baltimore Museum of Art, she is a shopkeeper, helping customers in the gift & bookstore. Doroshenko graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2016, with an MFA in Multidisciplinary Art. Doroshenko completed her BFA at Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec) in 2012, in the Fiber department. Her work has been shown internationally, in Dubai, Canada, and the United States. Themes that show up in her work are materiality, ambiguity, serendipity, intrepidity, empathy, and failure.
Upcoming Exhibitions
TBD