Yulia Pinkusevich (b. 1982 Kharkov, Ukraine) Conditions were poor, food was scarce, money was very tight. My family shared a tiny one-bedroom apartment for a family of 4. I had chronic tonsillitis due to malnutrition. But I was a kid then and perceived my life through those eyes: in retrospect we had it rough for a while, but at the time this was all we knew. I think I was a relatively happy child. My paternal grandfather immigrated to the US two years ahead of us and helped us apply for visas, move and start a new life in the US. My family was granted refugee status and we moved to New York . When we were enroute to the Moscow airport, I vividly recall seeing traces of military tanks, deeply carved repeating groves stamped into the asphalt on the broad avenues. What I witnessed were physical traces of abstract marks made by political upheaval that ultimately toppled the USSR. The abstract patterns, groves and imprints of political unrest continue to fascinate and disrupt my sensibilities throughout my life. A feeling of change was in the air, not unlike like the feeling of change in the US at this moment.
THEM & US, 2016
Acrylic and Oil on Canvas
82 x 65 in. / 208.28 x 165.10 cm.
THEM and US grew out of her time and research while an Artist in Residence at Autodesk, Pier 9 in San Francisco. Working alongside artists and scientists who focus on bioengineering, astrophysicist, robotics, speculative architecture, bio-nano tech and much more she became immersed in a world of scientific exploration and big ideas. Given Russia's subsequent invasion of Ukraine, the subject resonates with continued relevance.
For further information
https://kentfineart.net/artists/33-yulia-pinkusevich/overview/
