Yuliya Lanina intends to bring a dissonant charge to the work she creates. Playful and quirky on the exterior, her work uses whimsy as a device to draw closer inspection, leading to greater awareness and introspection among viewers. Once engaged, the viewer often finds evocations of the dark matter that is the underbelly of human existence - issues of loss, abuse, and death - striking a primordial balance.

 

Her work ranges from paintings and interactive sculptures to animations and performance. She is particularly interested in turning the traditional medium of painting into a multi-dimensional and interactive experience for the viewer.

 

"Stories Untold" is comprised of Lanina's latest works on paper as well as a series of small-scale mechanical sculptures based on popular folk tales. Each sculpture is a wind-up toy comprised of a painted wooden box with moving figures, as well as music clockwork that plays a custom-composed melody particular to each scene. The miniature size encourages up-close viewing, and visitors are allowed to pick up the toy in order to operate the wind-up mechanism.