Yulia Sopina
Yulia Sopina was born in Leningrad in 1968. When Yulia was a child she understood that painting became her favourite occupation, even though no one in her family belonged to the art world. Her grandfather taught her to "watch and say nothing". They walked around a lot, observing the streets, the trees and the houses.
Yulia Sopina never had real teachers. Her education process in the Serov Art college passed unnoticed. Yulia says that they "taught nothing, but didn't spoil". After graduating in the late 1980s she began independent work and the search for her own style in art began.
Yulia was influenced by the paintings of old masters in the Hermitage and the surrounding art life. There was a period of passion for Vladimir Sterligov's work and his "spirituality of color". Later she added "Sidlin School" and "Arefyev Circle" to her favourites. As before, the main questions were related to color, to the sense of work, to the way of the artist striving to eliminate selfish desires and remain in his paintings alone with God.
Julia Sopina does not limit herself to any genre, her artworks include landscapes and portraits, multi-figure compositions and still lifes. The artist believes that "any art is a myth about the artist's life", that's why in it, as in life, everything happens: there are dark and light periods, moments of rethinking, and mistakes. And when the artist cannot keep silent about his experiences, the real ouevre occurs. So the picture cannot be "invented", the person must survive it, and then show what he experienced.
Since 1996, Yulia's active participation in exhibitions began. Along with lots of group exhibition, she had quite a few solo shows. Together with Anatoly Zaslavsky, Boris Borsch, Irina Vasilyeva, Vladimir Yashke, and Arthur Molev, the artist exhibited regularly in the framework of the project "Hopeless painters". Name of this group of artists emphasises their non-experimental or non-contemporary art styl, and a stubborn adherence to traditional aesthetic categories of painting and graphics.
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Year and place of birth: 1968, Leningrad.
Education
- 1987 – Serov Art College, Leningrad. Specialization: painter.
Memberships
- Member of the Creative Union of Artists (IFA).
- Member of the project "Hopeless Painters"
Solo exhibitions
- 2014 – "Paradise of Yulia Sopina" Gallery Expo-88, Moscow, Russia;
- 2010 – "About Snow", "Art Object" Gallery, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2009 – "China" Gallery "Borey", Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2009 – "The Elusive" Gallery "Matisse Club", Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2008 – "The Cold Summer of 2008" Gallery "Borey", Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2008 – "Paintings 2006-2007" Exhibition halls of the Creative Union of Artists, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2006 – "The World of Children" Exhibition halls of the Creative Union of Artists, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2005 – Solo show in the Saint-Petersburg State museum "Tsarskoselskaya collection", Pushkin, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2005 – "People in the City» Gallery "Matisse Club", Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2002 – Gallery S.P.A.S., Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 1997 – Institute of Cultural Programs, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 1996 – "BUFF" theater, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
Selected group exhibitions
- 2009 – Beijing International Spring Carnival, Exhibition Hall Chaoyang, Beijing, China;
- 2008 – "It Was in the Summer" Exhibition Halls of the Creative Union of Artists IFA, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2008 – "Disappearing City" Centre for Books and Graphics, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2007 – "Casual Relationships" Gallery "Rural Life", Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2007 – "How I Spent the Summer" Gallery "Borey", Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2007 – "Autumn Salon" Centre for Books and Graphics, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2007 – "About Railroad" Centre for Books and Graphics, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2007 – "Contemporary Art of Russia" Creative Union of Artists IFA, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2007 – "Metamorphoses" Exhibition Halls of the Creative Union of Artists IFA, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2006 – International Symposium of Plein-air Painting, Blankenheim, Germany;
- 2005 – "ГОДDOG" Exhibition Halls of the Creative Union of Artists IFA, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2005 – II Biennial "Saint-Petersburg Pastel", Union of Artists, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.;
- 2004 – "Sounds and Symbols" Exhibition Halls of the Creative Union of Artists IFA, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2004 – "Russian View on Italy" Exhibition Halls of the Creative Union of Artists IFA, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2004 – Second Biennial of Graphics in Saint-Petersburg, Central Exhibition Hall "Manege", Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2003 – "Avant-garde on Neva river. Second half of the XXth century" Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia;
- 2003 – I Biennial "Saint-Petersburg Pastel", Union of Artists, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.;
- 2002 – "Holy Land Jerusalem" Museum of City Sculpture, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2002 – "Golden Brush" The New Manege, Moscow, Russia;
- 1996-2009 – Annual exhibitions of artists from Saint-Petersburg "Petersburg", Central Exhibition Hall "Manege", Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 1996 – Exhibition with art group "Old City", Museum of City Sculpture, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
Public collections
- Saint-Petersburg State museum "Tsarskoselskaya collection", Pushkin, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- Museum of contemporary Art "Erarta", Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
Awards and grants
- 2009 – "Best painting of the year" Creative Union of Artists IFA, Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2008 – Nominee of the ARTINDEX prize "Best artist of the year", Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
- 2009 – Recipient of a diploma at the Annual Exhibition of Artists from Saint-Petersburg, Central Exhibition Hall "Manege", Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
