Katia Lyubavskaya
Katia Lyubavskaya is a contemporary artist with a degree in Architecture of Public & Residential Buildings of Moscow Architectural Institute (State Academy). Katia switched from the professional path to artistic practice in 2019 and moved to London via the Global Talent Visa in early 2023. The artist widely uses a smiley symbol in her work as it is a main sign of international language. Sad or happy, the symbol serves as a global icon of communication, transcending linguistic, cultural, and geographic boundaries. / @magic.yes
Experience:2007-2017 Senior Architect at Tsimailo Lyashenko & Partners; 2004 - 2007 Architect at BERNASKONI
Education:Master of Architecture - Moscow Architectural Institute (State Academy), Faculty of Public and Residential Buildings
“I create visual tricks that are either followed by or consist of wordplay, where the title itself occasionally becomes an object. Wordplay, also known as puns, is a dynamic element of meme culture, often involving the creation of new words or phrases through typos, abbreviations, and unconventional combinations. They connect people from various cultures and backgrounds through shared jokes and references.
Additionally, memes add a layer of creativity and humor to online interactions, making them not only entertaining but also a form of artistic expression. Both puns and smileys belong to the universal language and particularly resonate with me as an immigrant. With my background in architecture, I seek to invent unusual techniques that showcase both a conceptual approach and concise production.”
— Katia Lyubavskaya
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