YULIYA MARTYNOVA
Inspiration
I use various media to create series of works channeling my excessive emotional energy onto the surface and allowing to escape from reality without leaving the studio.
The subject matter is often to lift the weight of existence and find a thread that pulls you forward to evolve and change yourself or your attitude towards challenging circumstances in life.
Inspiration comes within. The final outcome of the artwork is often uncertain. Where do you draw a last line is existential to every piece I consider finished. It starts with need to lock myself in the studio room and find way to the outer places within.
Little bit about me
I was born in Kazakhstan (Aktau) on the shores of the Caspian Sea in a frontier oil town in the middle of the desert. I spent most of my happy childhood summers in leafy Northern Kazakhstan at my grandmother’s farm house, foraging in the forest, swimming in the lakes and looking after animals. Later in life my parents (both engineers) chose for me to study Law, driven by the prestige of the occupation.
Art classes were a parallel activity during my school years since the age of 10 and despite high praising from the art school teachers the creative direction was dismissed as a career choice as it was seen as unpractical in the modern world at the time.
I lived in Almaty for 6 years where I trained to become litigation lawyer. This was followed by an international MBA and job in banking. In 2001 I returned to Aktau for family reasons and worked for an energy engineering firm which led me to Aberdeen for a few years. In 2007 there was a move to London and during the 2008 financial crisis I completed two more Law degrees, this time at Queen Mary and BPP school of Law. I briefly worked in zinc mining for an Australian consultant and then joined a Belgravia based private client firm.
All in all, it took me 15 years to realize that my original chosen path of art was the right one but I had not had the guts to give it a chance. I had given too much significance to public perception and was overinvested in law without matched success.
So I took a plunge and gave myself time to develop focus on my first true love, art.
I was picked up by Saatchi Art, an LA based online platform that found my first collectors.
I worked with numerous other online market makers but the original collaboration was the most effective since 2015 in helping me grow and participate in many interesting projects. For a full list of shows and involvement please review my CV.
In 2020 I had my little girl (she is 4 now), so life changed in a big way.
My partner and I sold our small terraced home in Wimbledon during Covid and moved to Caversham in 2021. We rebuilt our 1920’s house where I now have my art studio and now live happy ever after on the borders of Berkshire and Oxfordshire.
Looking into the future I have an upcoming Rivers & Rowing Museum show (Dec 24-Feb 25), I currently rotate my artworks at the Thames Lido and just had a wonderful Mayfair Art Week display with Huntsman, bespoke tailors of Saville Row. In the pipeline there are a few residencies on the horizon, public speaking with students and schools in Oxfordshire, Affordable Art Fair Battersea with Tom Cox Gallery and a few group shows with my London gallerists.
[exhibitions]
[ corporate display ]
2025
Henley Arts Festival, Old Fire Station Art Gallery, Jul
Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, Tom Cox Art Gallery, Mar
River & Rowing Museum, Solo Feb
2024
River & Rowing Museum, Solo Dec
HUNTSMAN, Savile Raw, Mayfair Art Week, Jun-Jul
Henley Arts Trail, Oxfordshire May 04-06
Neptune Stores, Reading, Apr 13-14
Thames Lido, Solo, Whatever the weather, Apr 2024
Three, Tom Cox Art Gallery, Arp 04-14
Affordable Art Fair Battersea , Tom Cox Mar 06-10 (sold out)
Singul Art, Stuttgart Show Room, Germany
2023
The Other Art Fair Truman Brewery
The Art Buyer Gallery, Thames Ditton, Surrey
Tom Cox Gallery, Summer Show, London
Oct 2021 The Other Art Fair
Apr 2020 Best Sold Artist of All Times Saatchi Art
Apr 2020 Infinity Room, White Box Gallery, Bankside Hotel London
Oct 2019 Affordable Art Fair Battersea, Degree Art
Oct 2019 RVP Gallery, Wilmslow, Manchester
Oct 2019 Open Studios Delta House, Wimbledon
Aug 2019 the Auction Collective, Bankside Hotel, London
Jul 2019 Henley Regatta & Art Festival, Art Elite
Mar 2019 The Other Art Fair, London
Sep - Dec 2018 Interio 22, Art Play, Moscow
Mar 2018 The Other Art Fair, Holborn, London, UK
Dec-Jan 2018 Cass Art Exhibition Flag Store & Rise Art, Islington, London
Oct 2017 The Other Art Fair, London
Sep 2017 The Frame show by Saatchi Art + Samsung,
London, Clerkenwell Design Week
Sep 2017 Decorative Art Fair, Battersea Park, London
2017 - 2019 Catherine Miller Art Gallery, Chelsea, London
Apr 2017 The Other Art Fair, London
Nov-Dec 2016 Aubergine Gallery, Wimbledon, London
Nov 2016 Edinburg Art Fair, represented by Gaudi Gallery, Madrid
Nov 2016 solo, Art Gallery 657 Studio, Fulham Rd, London #Flyingsolo
2016 Cover page - Saatchi Art Autumn 2016 Printed Catalogue
Aug 2016 Hoxton Arches, London, with Meet the Artists
Feb 2016 Whitechappel Gallery, London, First Thursdays by Creative Debuts
Jan-Mar 2016 Hoxton Hotel Gallery, Holborn, London, Creative Debuts
Jan 2016 Art Room 2016, Melia White House Hotel, London
Dec 2015 Maze Art OXO Tower Barge House, London
Oct 2015 Wells Art Contemporary 2015, Somerset, UK
Apr - Jan 2016 Artist of the Day (twice), Inside the Studio, Saatchi Art
July - Sep 2015 solo , Mathew’s Yard Caffe & Art Gallery, Croydon
[ on the big screen & TV ]
Feb 2021 Park Hyatt Aviara 5*, Florida
Nov 2020 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York
Apr 2020 Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, Chicago
Jul 2019 Spirit of Discovery Luxury Cruise-ship, SAGA
Jan 2018 Timbers Kauai Hawaii - with Eaton Fine Art, Blue Bay for new built hotel
Mar - Jun 2016 Oliver, (Marketing Agency) Old St, London, with Creative Debuts
Feb - May 2016 Black + White Offices, Shoreditch, London, with Creative Debuts
Feb - Jun 2016 20 Canada Square, City of London (Property Developer)
July 14 - May 2015 Werner Capital (Property Developer), Belgravia, London
Apr - Oct 2013 Bonas MacFarlane (Educational Consultancy), Battersea, London
Nov 2016 Mar 2016
Doctor Strange, Marvel movie, 2 artworks for the filming set decoration
US Drama Scandal, from episode 515, series since 2012, ABC studios