Australia is a delightfully rich and lucky country, especially if we talk about residents with a multicultural background and wonderful artistic talent. Quite often those individuals are naturally gifted and are able to transcend their visions into their creations.
Yulia Pustoshkina is a third-generation Russian artist. Yulia has lived in Australia for quite a long time and has already become a well-known artist, participating in many exhibitions around Australia and even staging a solo exhibition last year at a reputable studio in Manhattan, New York. Yulia has received many awards during the past ten years, however she keeps on creating delightful paintings and always surprises her fans by injecting her amazing visions of the world into her works. She employs different techniques for her paintings and blends acrylics with oil on the canvas. Yulia has created a unique folklore/surrealism style, a balance between contemporary art and traditional Russian themes that is so immediately recognisable in the originality of her art.
This talent couldn’t possibly be left unnoticed, and as a result, Yulia received an exclusive invitation from The Ambassador of the Russian Federation, His Excellency Grigory Logvinov and his wife Irina Logvinova to attend the Ambassador’s Residence to Canberra and exhibit a selection of her works from the “Away from Home” exhibition.
“Away from Home” an exhibition by Yulia Pustoshkina opened on 27th September as part of the traditional “Russian Seasons” event with the support of the Russian Embassy in Canberra. All guests had received an exclusive opportunity to get familiar with the beautiful paintings and even to arrange to purchase a favourite work from the exhibition.
Yulia was the unmistakable true star of the evening and just like a real celebrity she received many greetings from friends and fans of her artistic talent.
/pic
As Yulia mentioned at the event, she had been surprised and honoured to receive the invitation from His Excellency Grigory Logvinov to bring the exhibition to Canberra and organize the event at the Ambassador’s Residence. That’s why she decided to select painting from different collections and share paintings that represent the highlights of her art. Guests of the exhibition saw pictures from Yulia’s “Two Continents”, “Faces”, “Earthly Delights”, “Homeland” and “Gelato in July” collections.
“It is so hard to choose the most favourite painting from this exhibition, I do love all of them and each of them has special details. I am very amused with one picture, another one has a brilliant idea, others are just really good in technique and I am very happy with the result. However, I think I like Earthly Delights more than others”, said Yulia.
Indeed, the “Earthly Delights” is a real masterpiece and maybe that’s why the painting had become a signature piece for the whole exhibition. Yulia had managed to transcend the atmosphere of inner universal peace and even though the painting had been completed in bright and ripping colours, I think they correlate well with the idea that this picture represents. The faces that froze and drowned in a chain of philosophical thoughts are utterly attractive and I could stare at them forever.
/pic
Despite all represented paintings being from different collections, they are all created in a particular and unique style, one that blends them all into a colourful kaleidoscope. The abstract male and female faces are sitting along with gentle images of flowers and plants and posing in harmony with amusing animals. Every painting is a story that the author had begun to tell but never concluded. That is left for the observer to interpret the final meaning of the picture.
One’s first look at those owl characters from the “Earthly Delights” collection commands your attention, through quite a perfect setting of tiny and beautiful details. Every owl plays its role, and every role is precise. Watch them, and you will be drained forever into their beautiful deep eyes…
/pic
“A Family”, in my opinion, is the brightest one in the whole collection of “Faces”. Painted in divine blue and navy colours, the picture draws your attention with a bunch of little objects that represent Russian folk style yet wrapped into a particular interpretation of the vision of family by Yulia. Tranquillity and depth of the flying fantasy are the first signs that I see on this painting. It seems that there is no gravity there and all objects are floating freely in the space.
/pic
I spent a long-time near the stunning “Cities of Influence” and caught myself looking again and again into every colourful piece that looked so very familiar from the Russian fairy tales of my childhood. This painting includes everything: national folkloric style, and the artist’s vision of two grand cities in Russia that are indeed a centric influence of the Russian culture. And furthermore, that lovely authentic ritual of a tea ceremony that is beloved so much by every Russian.
/pic
“Sauna” from the collection “Homeland” is a very unique painting for many reasons. First, it had been created with an amazing and rare technique of oil on linen. This paint is a finalist of the Warringah Art Prize 2016, Warringah Creative Space Sydney and a very original and amusing representation of the traditional Russian samovar by the artist. This painting seems to recharge you with its positivity and brings you into a great mood!
/pic
The energy of the world around us and everything that happens in it is an inspiration for this artist. Recently Yulia visited Spain and that trip had become the main idea for her next exhibition “Earthly Delights”. The guests of the “Away from Home” expo in Canberra had an opportunity to see some works, however the whole set of these magic works will be represented in an upcoming event in Sydney in December.
