BERLIN

EN

BIO

Julia Shanaytsa is a German artist with Russian roots, currently based in Berlin. She studied at the Moscow State University of Printing Arts and further honed her skills in Berlin, where she trained as an illustrator. Her distinctive style combines painting and illustration, characterized by attention to detail, experimentation with forms, and reflections on themes of identity and consumption in contemporary society. Julia's father, an artist who worked across various genres, played a key role in nurturing her love for art. He taught her painting, silk painting, graphic design, and fashion design, all of which continue to influence her artistic practice today.

AS

Julia Shanaytsa, as an artist, delves into the contemporary human experience, navigating a new reality where attention is scattered, and individuals define themselves through the objects surrounding them. In this intricate dance, people become mere elements within the larger machinery of consumer society, where objects function as the tiniest particles comprising a vast mechanism in which we dissolve.

Similar to the significance of attributes in Renaissance portraiture, objects become the attributes of the modern individual, describing and characterizing them. However, a challenge arises as these objects are transient, subject to planned obsolescence—a mechanism dictating that every product must be reissued over time, compelling consumers to replace items as they expire.

This constant flux leaves the contemporary individual in a state of total disarray. Yet, amidst this chaos, there lies an ability to find beauty in the ever-shifting, in the simplicity of objects, in fleeting aesthetic sensations. Perhaps, the ephemeral nature of the present moment defines the self-perception of 21st-century individuals: tomorrow one identity, the day after, another.

Yet, there exists another perspective, an external gaze that imparts some stability to this fluid motion. The "Other" represents the carrier of opinions and ideologies, possessing a viewpoint on the surrounding world. The uniqueness of the "Other" lies in its appearance of wholeness, certainty, as if it is free from self-questioning or doubt about self-awareness. The same "I," immersed in internal transformations and uncertainties, appears remarkably unified when seen through the eyes of the "Other."

Furthermore, this complexity intensifies as objects interweave into the relationship between the "I" and the "Other," becoming equal actors in the situation. It is through the mechanism of photographic capture that this intricate network of mutual perspectives can be observed—through a pause, outside the rush, and beyond the stream of consciousness.

As an artist, Julia Shanaytsa penetrates the momentary and the objectified forms that are on the verge of shifting their positions in reality. Her works capture not the totality, but rather the flashes, the vibrations of a total upheaval of existence. Through her art, she offers a glimpse into the essence of a fluid and ever-changing human experience, revealing the profound beauty found within the transitory nature of our modern existence.

DE

BIO

Julia Shanaytsa ist eine deutsche Künstlerin mit russischen Wurzeln, die derzeit in Berlin lebt.

Sie studierte an der Moskauer Staatlichen Universität für Druckkunst und erweiterte ihre Fähigkeiten in Berlin, wo sie eine Ausbildung zur Illustratorin absolvierte. Ihr unverwechselbarer Stil verbindet Malerei und Illustration und zeichnet sich durch Detailverliebtheit, Experimente mit Formen sowie Reflexionen über Themen wie Identität und Konsum in der heutigen Gesellschaft aus. Julias Vater, selbst ein Künstler, der in verschiedenen Genres arbeitete, spielte eine entscheidende Rolle bei der Förderung ihrer Liebe zur Kunst. Er brachte ihr Malerei, Seidenmalerei, Grafikdesign und Modedesign bei – alles Disziplinen, die ihre künstlerische Praxis bis heute prägen.