215. Yulia Zinshtein - Alone but not lonely

2026
Oil pastel on paper
15.24 x 15.24 cm

Yulia Zinshtein was born in Philadelphia to Ukrainian parents and relocated to Moscow at the age of ten. Moving between cultures during her formative years — being “the Russian in Philadelphia” and “the American in Moscow” — became a defining influence on her artistic language. Through art-making, Zinshtein found a way to create permanence within a life shaped by transition and displacement.

Her practice explores figures, colour, texture, and cinematic gesture to evoke memory, atmosphere, and emotional ambiguity. Drawing on the visual language of film and performance, she constructs psychologically charged worlds populated by longing, waiting, and quiet tension. Her paintings often examine the performative nature of identity and desire, balancing intimacy with theatricality and suggestion.

Zinshtein completed an MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art, London (2023–2024), following a BFA in Photography at the School of Visual Arts, New York (2012–2015).

Solo exhibitions include You Are The Sole Actor In Your Life at Bomb Factory, London (2024).

Selected group exhibitions include Our Souls at Night at Galleria Umberto di Marino, Naples (2025); Two at Haricot Gallery, London (2025); Guilford’s Parlour with It’s A Local Collective, London (2024); Up Close and Personal at Haricot Gallery, London (2023); Clay D.D. in Los Angeles (2022); A Show of Hands at September Gallery, New York (2020); Group Show at Baba Yaga, New York (2018); the Planned Parenthood Gala at Pier 36, New York (2017); Body Talk at Project Gallery Studios, Toronto (2016); and Feelings Film Festival II at Anthology Film Archives, New York (2015).