BIO
For Yulia L, her humble and tumultuous beginnings are nothing short of remarkable. Born into a society that was bleak, brown, and stiflingly structured; any form of creative expression was a stone’s throw of illegal in her beloved USSR. Nonetheless, she was born into a family of artists. Her mother was a classically trained soprano, piano teacher, and stage performer from her early teens. Her father was a painter and one of the most sought out mosaic artists of his time. However, the laws of the Soviet Union limited an artisan’s ability to create and flourish. Subsequently and tragically, he succumbed to the “spirits” that stripped many a great man of this generation of their gifts, becoming a ghost of himself and scarcely participating in Yulia L’s life. Her mother lost her voice and developed arthritis in her hands, and with no source of financial income after divorce, she applied to work in a factory to support her two young daughters.
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Yulia L’s unyielding spirit and burning desire for artistic or any type of full-throated self-expression, led her to music, dancing, modeling and art. She sold her first painting in 1996 at the tender and precocious age of sixteen. Ironically, she never aspired to be a painter. Her fingers ventured to make an impression on a different note; 88 of them, to be precise. She was a classically trained pianist ripping through Bach and Chopin with the vigor of Brahms. Yulia L rose to the top of the modeling industry while dancing at a high level. Unfortunately, an injury ended her dancing career and she embraced her artistic gift.
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Yulia L catapulted herself into the chaos of the post communistic art world of the 90s in Russia with all the intentions of making a permanent imprint; literally.
Yulia L majored with a Master’s in Psychology specializing in Sexology at the Moscow University. Her studies played an important role in influencing the way she expresses herself through her paintings.
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Her most recent work invokes a sensual depth through color and texture. When looking upon the pieces, it envelops you with a desire for touch. You want to sink your fingers deep into the heart of what she created. Run your hands over the torrent of emotions rippling across the canvas. It is engaging to the senses; raw and stimulating. Her work is a reflection of herself. Yulia is a force of nature.
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PHILOSOPHY
In art, food, music, dance; our senses allow us to react and immediately form an opinion. Is it good? Is it great? Am I affected? However, to be fully immersed in the experience of these artist’s works or performances, to be touched on a deep and lasting personal level beyond a casual glance, taste or touch, it is crucial to acquaint ourselves with the personality and character of the artist. Even more paramount is an exploration into their historical roots, including how those roots were formed. It is through this journey and subsequent knowledge of character formation do you get to truly connect to the work, and thereby the artist themselves.
Her presence demands an immediate fixation of your attention just like her work. She doesn’t claim to be a revelation. An artist never does. But she will make an impression. As Proust mused, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but seeing with new eyes. “
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EXHIBITIONS
1995, 1996 Mars Gallery – Moscow, Russia
1997 KY Gallery – St. Petersburg, Russia
1998 Ilya Gallery – St. Petersburg, Russia
1999 Art House Gallery – Moscow, Russia
2000 Le Barc Gallery – Paris, France
2001 Rudolf Budja Gallery – Vienna, Austria
2001 Fairfax Art Gallery – London, England
2002 Foley Gallery, New York, NY
2003 Bergamont Station – Santa Monica, CA
2003, 2004 Soho Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2004 Soho Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2008-2010 Lurie Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2016, 2017 Art Basel (Lurie Gallery) Miami, FL
2018 Art Basel - Wynwood Block, Wynwood, FL
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