Still Life paints a lush reality that courts the fantastical. It is a world where fairies alight on cheese-laden tabletops, frogs perch nonchalantly on lemons, and cats wear jewels and wise, old looks. The brilliant precision of Movchan’s paintings recalls the visual language of 17th century Dutch still life.Yet, although her paintings depict the mundane – fruit, flowers, household pets – they do not depict the routine or everyday. Rather, they make the case that sensual engagement and imagination outlast all else.
Curated by Sophie Hackett.
Documentation
Artist Bio
Yana Movchan
Yana Movchan is a Toronto-based artist and completed her MFA in painting at the Ukranian art academy in Kiev in 1995. She has exhibited her work in Kiev, Prague, London, Santa Barbara and Toronto. In 2001, she won the best painting award at the Toronto outdoor art exhibition.
Featured in YYZINE: VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3
Photo credit: Peter MacCallum