Before we dive into the studio itself, a quick primer on the artist who has become a touchstone for experimental painting, mixed media, and socially engaged installations.
Babko’s work has since been collected by MoMA PS1, the Stedelijk Museum, and a host of private collectors worldwide. Yet, like many artists, her most intimate creative moments still happen far from the museum walls—in the place where she first learned to translate thoughts onto canvas: her first studio. 1st Studio Masha Babko
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What followed was a collective effort:
| Task | Who | What It Involved | |------|-----|------------------| | Flooring | Masha + 3 friends | Scraped old concrete, laid reclaimed wooden planks salvaged from a nearby demolition site. | | Lighting | Local electrician (owner) | Hung vintage industrial pendant lights, supplemented with cheap LED strips for “studio glow.” | | Walls | Masha & fellow art students | Painted raw cement in muted ochre, leaving sections of exposed brick for texture. | | Ventilation | Masha | Cut a small window on the second floor, added a DIY exhaust fan to manage oil fumes. | | Furniture | Masha | Built a sturdy, height‑adjustable work table from reclaimed pallets, sourced a second‑hand sofa for rest periods, and collected mismatched stools for visitors. | Babko’s work has since been collected by MoMA
The result was a raw, lived‑in aesthetic—the sort of space that encourages experimentation and embraces imperfection. It became a magnet for other emerging artists, poets, and musicians who turned the studio into a hub for cross‑disciplinary collaboration.