Crocifissa Kristina’s artistic journey began at 40, when she returned to college to pursue her Master of Fine Arts degree from Kendall College of Art and Design. She studied in Florence, Italy, bringing her two teenage children along for the transformative experience.
During graduate school, Kristina cared for her mother who was battling severe brain tumors. When her mother passed during her senior year, this profound loss became the foundation of her artistic vision. The faceless women that define her work emerged from this pain—intentionally ambiguous faces that serve as mirrors for viewers to see themselves, their mothers, their own stories of strength and survival.
“I am the voice for those who are silenced,” Kristina declares. Her sculptures and paintings transform personal grief and the journey from a verbally abusive relationship into powerful statements of feminine resilience and empowerment. Even her Italian landscapes and sunsets connect to this vision—they are the places her women travel, the beauty they experience despite their struggles.
“My art is my breath. It’s my husband. It’s my life,” she explains. Through pain, she has created a process. Through loss, she has created meaning.
Today, Kristina exhibits at art shows throughout the United States and internationally, including Florence, Rome, Milan, and Art Basel—bringing her message of strength and survival to audiences around the world.
