In Conversation
Art’s ability to transcend borders becomes evident as two distinct artists engage in a cross-continental dialogue. Yulia Bas, hailing from the sun-soaked landscapes of Spain, and Marie-Chloé Duval, an artistic force from Canada, come together to delve into the intricacies of their creative processes. This exchange goes beyond cultural distinctions, bridging the gap between mediums. Through their conversation, Bas and Duval explore inspirations, techniques, and the universal language that connects artists worldwide.
Marie-Chloé: Four years ago, I stumbled upon Yulia’s captivating artwork in a Montreal art gallery, an encounter that left an indelible mark on me. Fast forward to 2022, now residing in NYC, I pleasantly found that Yulia was having a solo exhibition in the city. This serendipitous reunion sparked a dialogue between us—me in the bustling streets of New York and her in the artistic haven of Spain. As we conversed, our shared passions intertwined, forming a bond that transcended borders. In this conversation, we had a dialogue about the works, but also about the life of two female artists having a full-time practice and the challenges we face. We were discussing how our environment shapes us and our art.
Yulia: The environment I evolve in is a significant part of my art exploration. My practice lies in my immigrant story. Being originally Jewish and born in Moscow, I moved first to Italy and then to Spain. I rarely felt I fully belonged in any of these places. It can make me feel lonely sometimes, but it is also a liberating experience.
Only here in Spain the rediscovery of my passion for art manifested itself after more than a decade spent in the fields of design and architecture. Here, I felt free from the burden of the context that surrounded me before. I knew nobody, and nobody knew me. This newfound anonymity granted me the bravery to return to the canvas and reimagine myself. I feel Barcelona is a very creative place and a ‘relaxed’ one. And that gives me enough mental and emotional space to make art. I am getting too stressed in the megalopolises.
Marie-Chloé: As an expat from Saint-Pascal (Québec, Canada) who moved to New York City, I relate with your sentiment of liberation and solitude that the change of country brings. In the last few years, I have been observing how my mind and creation have been affected and modified slowly by the new countries I live in.
Both NYC and Montreal serve as dynamic backdrops that fuel my art practice. In the vibrant streets of New York City, the eclectic blend of cultures and relentless urban energy ignites new perspectives for my work. Similarly, Montreal’s diverse artistic community and its introspective atmosphere provide a rich breeding ground for exploring the intricacies of societal issues in my work. The serene embrace of nature found around Montreal and the bustling absence of it in the cityscape of NYC both exert profound influences on my artistic practice, shaping my creative vision and inspiring contrasting themes in my work.
Above our relation to our roots and chosen countries, in terms of subject matter, colors, and way of expressing ourselves, Yulia and I also share many similarities: Both use figures with abstraction and a muted color palette. In fact, your works have a very limited color palette, using muted colors playing with darks and lights, and I want to hear about it further.
Yulia: One reason for my muted palette is my natural color sensitivity. I perceive very subtle undertones, and exploring these nuances within the dark spectrum has become one of my tools. The idea of a complex black’, as I call it, attracts me. I mix different types of black oil with other hues to get the nuanced, very deep colors. It is a certain quest to solve the colors in a shadow, so hard to catch them. And that makes this painterly challenge somehow mysterious.
This sensitivity even extends to the way I dress and style my home. I appreciate vibrant colors on other people and in nature, but wearing them myself almost always feels excessive, too much, too loud for me.
As a result, my current color palette allows me to draw attention to more somber and nuanced emotions and poetic expressions in my subjects, allowing me to emphasize contrast, texture, and shape in my work.
Marie-Chloé: It is almost troubling to read your answer as I realize how much it could have been my answer. I believe that in this love for subtleties and this desire to find depth in the details, we had no choice but to feel connected. I always told people questioning my black-and-white palette that I did not need colors and that my work’s subject matter and message were strong enough. Working within the confines of a limited and muted palette of blacks and whites amplifies the emotional resonance of my work. By stripping away the distraction of color, I can focus on the raw essence of my subjects, allowing their emotions and narratives to take center stage.
However, as I always try to push my work and share my vision, I started crafting my black pigments to create warmer and cooler ones, which adds a layer of depth and subtle intricacies to my work, infusing each piece with nuanced details that unfold gradually, enriching the narrative without overt imposition. Moreover, in the last few years, I have added some bold and vibrant colors to push the ideas behind my works. I am in a very new territory, and it can be hard to navigate the unknown, but I need to keep exploring. I explore not only with the colors but also with the subject matter, moving from figurative to abstract visuals. We were talking a lot about the junction between figurative and abstract elements in our works.
Marie-Chloé: I always push the abstraction/figuration boundaries, working with gestural brushstroke and defined areas. This encounter of the figurative and abstract is also present in your pieces. While I tend to abstract the faces, focusing on the figure’s presence, painting their silhouette and body, obstructing or limiting the presence of faces, yours focuses more on the depiction of the faces.
By abstaining from painting distinct faces, I intend to encapsulate the essence of humanity free from constrictive categorizations. My art mirrors society’s universal presence, allowing each viewer to find themselves within the canvas. This deliberate omission conveys that every figure embodies the potential to be anyone, transcending individuality to reveal collectivity.
Yulia: In my paintings, faces are like masks. But, I would say the inner ones. So, the symbolism of the mask, rather than having a protective or superimposed spiritual purpose, has a revealing role. It opens the hidden and vulnerable portrait of philosophical self-determination. Therefore, I use figuration to explore and reflect on the complex relationships we have with ourselves. Hence, through techniques like leaving my work unfinished, adding texture, dissecting, and abstractly reassembling the human form, my goal was to bridge two worlds: the tangible, comprehensible realm and the transcendent plane—the world of the inexplicable order of the universe and the human subconscious.
Being an artist has never been an easy life path, but while chatting over the phone with Yulia, we both felt that discussing the other side of reality would be a good idea. We often do not discuss how big opportunities can affect us as artists and individuals. We see a lot of the final results, but what happens in our minds and how we navigate the stress, the fear, and the unknown is something we wanted to discuss in this article. What do you think is the scariest part of pursuing a life as an artist?
Marie-Chloé: Being a visual artist means exposing my innermost feelings to the outside world, which feels both exciting and daunting. Additionally, I feel responsible for making sure my art contributes positively to the world. Handling this pressure while keeping my creative flow is a balancing act in an unrestricted field, demanding constant self-awareness.
Yulia: I couldn’t agree more with your perspective!
I would add that what I find difficult is that I may fall into a dangerous delusion that if something suggests that my art is flawed in any way, I project that onto my entire being. It can easily play with my entire thought process, leaving me feeling that I am wrong; I am a failure. This happens, I believe because artist’s work and their psychological identity are so intertwined. This aspect makes projects like solo or even group exhibitions quite challenging. The pressure of such internal responsibility and external deadlines can create some very unpleasant emotional turbulence in the creative process.
Furthermore, another hidden aspect is the post-show apathy and dopamine drop. I might feel quite disconnected from my art after the show has been produced and inaugurated, and I find that difficult to adapt to.
On one last note, we both discussed how we see art and its presence in our life how we grew up admiring the devotion of the masters who came before us. This thread of discussion went on and on and could have lasted hours, but it came down to a simple question: Can you imagine your life without making Art?
Marie-Chloé: When it comes to the idea of not making art, oh, this is a scary one. I couldn’t imagine life without Art – it’s a part of me, an essential need. Creating is my purpose, that indescribable sensation of transferring emotion onto canvas, paper, or verse. My journey started on a different path; as a criminology grad student, I worked in that field. But when Art entered my life, its profound impact changed everything. Since 2015, I’ve had no Plan B – making art is my sole path, shaping my life decisions. Whenever challenges arose, or I felt adrift, I turned to painting, finding clarity and security in the process. Art is where I belong; it might sound cliché, but it’s the truth of how I feel.
Yulia: I can imagine my life without painting, but I wouldn’t be able to live without art as a way of thinking and exploring the outer and inner worlds. Creating art in any form is also essential for me. I might spend weeks or months away from the studio, but I always have my notebook to collect ideas, create automatic drawings, or even write occasional poems. Additionally, I read about art extensively and visit many exhibitions. Once I experienced how art can challenge, heal, disrupt conventionality, provide pleasure, and generally enrich life, I wouldn’t let it go.
Marie-Chloé: I am so in agreement with you on that as I feel that my notebook is my everything, to a point that leaving without makes me almost scared that a bright genius idea will come to me and that I won’t be able to pin it down. That being said, I could carry one for days without ever using it!
About Marie-Chloé Duval: Originally from Kamouraska, Quebec, Canada, Marie-Chloé Duval has an adventurous path in her artistic career. After initially pursuing an academic career in criminology, Duval discovered her passion for art while finishing her graduate studies. Duval honed her visual identity and explored photography before fully committing to painting in 2016. She made a strong impression in her first symposium by winning five prizes, and since then, she has gained recognition with solo and group exhibitions worldwide. Duval serves as vice president of art center boards, participating in residential projects for artists and writing for art blogs. Currently Duval is based in New York City. She holds a fine art degree from Concordia University, and she is now completing her Master’s degree in Fine Arts at the New York Studio School.
About Yulia Bas: Born in Moscow in 1986, Yulia Bas pursued fine art studies from an early age. After earning her architecture diploma, she made the move to Western Europe. Today, she resides in Barcelona, Spain. Several years ago, she rekindled her passion for art, engaging in private study and collaborations with artists, curators, and art historians. Yulia has forged partnerships with international galleries, showcasing her work in solo and group exhibitions, including a display at Christie’s London, as well as participating in various art fairs. Yulia continues to develop her practice, employing unconventional materials in her paintings, sculptures, and installations to explore her perceptions of physical and mental thresholds, transitional states, and memory.