Izzy Nova is a mixed-race (Southeast Asian, Germanic, Ashkenazi) artist and independent curator. Born in Atlanta, GA, they lived the first quarter of their life in the Arabian Peninsula before returning and receiving acceptance into the BFA program at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, where they received a solo thesis show. In 2016, in the year of their graduation, Nova founded the NYC Group Crit, which remains active with them as the director and curator. NYC Group Crit is presently working in collaboration with Box Factory Gallery in Ridgewood, Queens, NY. In 2021, Nova received the Caroline Lowndes grant to curate Straight Forward, Image Driven in The Painting Center, Chelsea, NY. Most recently, Nova completed curatorial roles for the Brooklyn exhibition Wear Dark Clothes: Light Painters and Print/Paint in the West Village, including the artists Hans Haacke and Juanita McNeely. In 2025, Nova will curate Artist Narrator at the Arthouse Gallery, JC.