article In conversation with
Yuliya Dan
In conversation with
Yuliya Dan
Yuliya Dan
In conversation with Yuliya Dan, the London-based
Ukrainian artist, art-to-wear jewellery and fashion
designer who works with ink and calligraphy pens,
influenced by her early years in Japan.
Ukrainian artist, art-to-wear jewellery and fashion
designer who works with ink and calligraphy pens,
influenced by her early years in Japan.
In conversation with Yuliya Dan, the London-based
Ukrainian artist, art-to-wear jewellery and fashion
designer who works with ink and calligraphy pens,
influenced by her early years in Japan.
Yuliya Dan creativity intertwines art, jewelry, and fashion. With a penchant for art-to-wear designs, this talented individual draws inspiration from the captivating realms of ink and calligraphy pens, undoubtedly influenced by their formative years spent in Japan.
Each stroke of their brush reveals a profound connection to diverse cultural, social, scientific, and psychological dimensions, resulting in awe-inspiring paintings that resonate with individuals on a deeply personal level. Prepare to embark on an artistic journey where boundless creativity and universal narratives converge, inviting all to explore and connect with the enchanting works that this artist has to offer.
Each stroke of their brush reveals a profound connection to diverse cultural, social, scientific, and psychological dimensions, resulting in awe-inspiring paintings that resonate with individuals on a deeply personal level. Prepare to embark on an artistic journey where boundless creativity and universal narratives converge, inviting all to explore and connect with the enchanting works that this artist has to offer.
Artiq When did you realise you would be an artist?
Yuliya I don't think there was ever one big moment but a chain of lots of little ones. Since drawing on a wall with mum's lipstick at the age of one, I have always been making something, creating and envisioning. The blank piece of paper was a boat, a doodle, a drawing, a painting and so on. My post-Soviet childhood was very boring until the age of 12, so I created worlds with whatever I could find.
Artiq Who or what has had the most significant influence on your practice?
Yuliya When I was a little girl, my grandmother used to take me to Church. The services were really long, and you had to stand the whole time. I couldn't understand anything they were saying or singing, so I drifted into icons on the walls. The blacks and golds, women's faces, eyes down, so serene. I guess it was subconsciously imprinted on me. Then I went to Japan at thirteen and fell in love with simple lines, rice paper, and black inks - lines created the whole story. I'd never seen anything like it, so I guess somewhere, it combined and mixed for me, and that's how my paintings were born.
Yuliya I don't think there was ever one big moment but a chain of lots of little ones. Since drawing on a wall with mum's lipstick at the age of one, I have always been making something, creating and envisioning. The blank piece of paper was a boat, a doodle, a drawing, a painting and so on. My post-Soviet childhood was very boring until the age of 12, so I created worlds with whatever I could find.
Artiq Who or what has had the most significant influence on your practice?
Yuliya When I was a little girl, my grandmother used to take me to Church. The services were really long, and you had to stand the whole time. I couldn't understand anything they were saying or singing, so I drifted into icons on the walls. The blacks and golds, women's faces, eyes down, so serene. I guess it was subconsciously imprinted on me. Then I went to Japan at thirteen and fell in love with simple lines, rice paper, and black inks - lines created the whole story. I'd never seen anything like it, so I guess somewhere, it combined and mixed for me, and that's how my paintings were born.
Artiq We share the belief in the power of art and its potential to do good. You recently launched 'Art for Heart'.
Can you share the background for this campaign?
Yuliya I believe in art with purpose. I launched 'Art For Heart' a while back while working with Together 1 Heart Foundation, a Cambodian charity organisation that works to care for and secure the rights of young women and girls who are victims or at risk of being victims of slavery.
My friend Yelena Introduced me to them. When you learn that there is a world in which women and children could be sold, raped and traded, your life changes. I organised a charity auction for T1H Foundation in London. Doing just an auction wasn't enough; I wanted to make sure there is something that people can still have as a reminder, but also an ongoing way to help through beauty and art.
I created a series of beautiful images, art prints, paintings and 'wear art' pendants in hopes of creating awareness and bringing in funds to support T1H foundation. I believe that women and girls cannot and must not be traded and treated as if they were objects. Liberty should not be a privilege but a basic human right. Currently, to support T1H you can donate through Solyna Foundation.
That said, recently, I've been focusing more on Ukraine and how to help with my art there. I've collaborated with Art Aid Ukraine, an initiative that raises funds to gather medical supplies from the warehouses of the EU and place them in hospitals in Ukraine. I am also donating a percentage of all my art and art-to-wear to Ukrainian charities and volunteers.
Can you share the background for this campaign?
Yuliya I believe in art with purpose. I launched 'Art For Heart' a while back while working with Together 1 Heart Foundation, a Cambodian charity organisation that works to care for and secure the rights of young women and girls who are victims or at risk of being victims of slavery.
My friend Yelena Introduced me to them. When you learn that there is a world in which women and children could be sold, raped and traded, your life changes. I organised a charity auction for T1H Foundation in London. Doing just an auction wasn't enough; I wanted to make sure there is something that people can still have as a reminder, but also an ongoing way to help through beauty and art.
I created a series of beautiful images, art prints, paintings and 'wear art' pendants in hopes of creating awareness and bringing in funds to support T1H foundation. I believe that women and girls cannot and must not be traded and treated as if they were objects. Liberty should not be a privilege but a basic human right. Currently, to support T1H you can donate through Solyna Foundation.
That said, recently, I've been focusing more on Ukraine and how to help with my art there. I've collaborated with Art Aid Ukraine, an initiative that raises funds to gather medical supplies from the warehouses of the EU and place them in hospitals in Ukraine. I am also donating a percentage of all my art and art-to-wear to Ukrainian charities and volunteers.
Artiq You are one of the participating artists in City Vistas; your incredible illustration 'Empathy has no borders' is installed outside Leaps & Ground, a special commission for the British Red Cross. What is the inspiration behind this powerful image?
Yuliya It was such an honour to create this work for such a wonderful cause. Also, I am deeply grateful for the freedom I've been given to express what is so important for me to say right now.
This work is the most personal yet. Being Ukrainian in the time of War. Being a lucky one. In this art piece, I've captured all that is near and dear right now. All the love and horror, hope and fear. It was inspired by real people, and I worked from photographs to capture them.
It features a Ukrainian mother holding her child; the three generations of women in the right top corner are based on a family of three women killed in a missile attack in Odesa; the woman in the centre is inspired by Angelina Jolie and the work she's doing with refugee women and children. Some are deliberately left faceless for the audience to imagine that for every person we see, there are hundreds or thousands that we don't.
Yuliya It was such an honour to create this work for such a wonderful cause. Also, I am deeply grateful for the freedom I've been given to express what is so important for me to say right now.
This work is the most personal yet. Being Ukrainian in the time of War. Being a lucky one. In this art piece, I've captured all that is near and dear right now. All the love and horror, hope and fear. It was inspired by real people, and I worked from photographs to capture them.
It features a Ukrainian mother holding her child; the three generations of women in the right top corner are based on a family of three women killed in a missile attack in Odesa; the woman in the centre is inspired by Angelina Jolie and the work she's doing with refugee women and children. Some are deliberately left faceless for the audience to imagine that for every person we see, there are hundreds or thousands that we don't.
Artiq What do you want the audience to take away from your work?
Yuliya You can be the change, you can create change, and you have the voice and the resources. If something speaks to you or inspires you, act on it. You are important, your voice is important, and it surely counts, even if you don't feel like it. Speak up, and do something today; no matter how small it feels to you, it could save someone's life.
To learn more about Yuliya Dan's practice, visit her Website or Instagram
Yuliya You can be the change, you can create change, and you have the voice and the resources. If something speaks to you or inspires you, act on it. You are important, your voice is important, and it surely counts, even if you don't feel like it. Speak up, and do something today; no matter how small it feels to you, it could save someone's life.
To learn more about Yuliya Dan's practice, visit her Website or Instagram