Zhenya Lopatnik

Zhenya Lopatnik | Sand-Art, Music, Storytelling 

Zhenya Lopatnik – A recent emigre to New York City from Kharkiv, Ukraine, Zhenya Lopatnik is a leading voice in a new generation of Yiddish singers and songwriters emerging from the former Soviet Union. Born into an assimilated Ukrainian-Jewish family, Zhenya only discovered Yiddish in her mid-20s but quickly made her mark in the field. Heard once or a dozen times, Zhenya’s songs ring deeply familiar. They stir the soul and awake memories even for those who are too young to remember. And for those old enough to know, the sounds transport them to a world cut short by war and migration.  
Zhenya mastered sand art in Ukraine. She worked as a sand artist with many renowned Jewish musicians, such as Noah Aronson and Tzivia Kay. Zhenya likes to perform live when she can interact with an audience, involving them in her creations.  

LABA project description 

Zhenya worked a lot as a singer and artist separately. She always dreamed about creating an interdisciplinary performance combining drawing with light and shadows with the exploration of the music material. Zhenya thinks that the theme of NIGHT will help reveal the potential of the musical sand art performance. 

What only comes out at night? 

What do we see in the NIGHT? Light, shadows, and sounds weaved in the fabric of NIGHT. Only those who know how to listen carefully could discover new stories behind it.