Katia Lyubavskaya
Katia Lyubavskaya is a London-based mixed media artist with an architectural degree from Moscow Architectural Institute. After working as an architect, she began her artistic practice in 2019. Since then, the artist has participated in over twenty exhibitions and art fairs in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, London, Dubai, Athens and Gimpo. While living and working in London on a Global Talent Visa, Katia appeared at the 4BYSIX auction, created editions of artworks officially licensed by The Smiley Company, has held two personal shows and participated in exhibitions during London Design Festival both in 2024 and 2025.
Katia Lyubavskaya is widely collaborating with different brands and projects and is currently represented by SAMPLE Gallery & Auction.
Artist Statement
In my practice, I primarily work with the smiley, where the symbol serves as a global tool for communication, transcending linguistic, cultural, and geographic boundaries.
Additionally, I create visual tricks that are followed by or consist of wordplay, where the title itself occasionally becomes an object. Wordplay, also known as pun, is a dynamic element of contemporary culture, often involving the invention of new words or phrases through typos, abbreviations, and unconventional combinations. Puns add a layer of creativity and humor to online interactions, making them not only entertaining but also a form of artistic expression.
My works are rooted in the fabric of everyday life: I filter my observations through the lens of daily routines, transforming habits and moments into the raw material for my imagery. I also seek to invent original techniques that showcase a conceptual approach and concise production.
Architect x Artist
Beyond Blueprints
Designed by Katia Lyubavskaya.
Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retro-futuristic aesthetics of industrial steam-powered machinery. The casual finger drawings, which I would describe as punk-like, on a misted mirror have nothing to do with the original steampunk genre. However, they perfectly illustrate the term in a new visual interpretation.
This series of artworks looks the most random and sketchy, unlike my other series. In life, finger drawing on a misted surface always happens in the moment, and you never think about the composition or beauty of the image. But in my works, all the elements and dripping drops are located in their places, exactly as I draw in 2D. The thickness of the lines of the drawing corresponds to the average thickness of a human finger, as well as the trace of a dripping drop. The artwork for the exhibition titled ‘;) x :))’ is a kind of visual pun. It is making fun of dimensional lines, their strictness and personification of precision, drawn in the style of my 'Steampunk' series, and instead of numbers, I put smiley text symbols on them. The additional fun is that there will be dimensions of the dimension lines in the accompanying drawing.
— Care: do not wash with acetone-containing products
— Size (L x W x H in cm): 60 x 60 x 0.5
— Weight: 3.5 kg
— Materials: mirror, matte finish, polymer gel
Designed by Katia Lyubavskaya.
Mirrors covered with cute smileys that resemble splashes of soap foam, mimicking a bathroom routine. 'Soaperstar' is a pun on 'superstar'. You’ll get to be your own 'soaperstar' in the mirror with all these bubbly smileys around! This also adds an extra layer of interactive entertainment to the artworks as you can 'catch' soapy smileys and snap funny pics.
Detail & Care: Wipe with a damp cloth only. No chemicals.
Choose from 2 bubbly smileys :) :), three bubbly smileys :) :) :), or five bubbly smileys :) :) :) :) :).
— Size (L x W x H): 12 × 12 × 0.2”
— Weight: 1.1 lbs
— Materials: Mirror, foamed resin