xxnft
Yulia Shur
Yulia Shur is a Belarusian-born visual artist based in Los Angeles. Her art takes you through the rabbit hole into the world of Yulia's lucid dreams.
She shoots for magazines such as Dazed, Vice, NYLON, King Kong, i-D Japan, MUSE, Office, Rolling Stone, and others stretching the limit of photography using her unique aesthetic and post-production skills.
Yulia has had over 20 shows all around the US, Europe, and Japan in the last 5 years and won the gold prize at the Tokyo International Foto Awards 2020.
Which was your first NFT ever?
Selfportrait " hiii alień "
Which is the last one?
I released the collection "Afternoon Dolls" together with Quantum in June.
How did you start your career in crypto art?
My dear friend David O'Reilly introduced me to it right after I moved to LA at the end of 2020. I created a profile on Superare and that's how it all started.
How can we increase the involvement of women in crypto?
Just keep bringing more new talented women into space until we dominate it ^^
Last project?
The collection "Afternoon Dolls" that we released together with Quantum and the support of Unicorn Dao in June.
What are the main guiding principles behind your work? Can you step outside yourself for a moment and let us know what you see?
I try to stretch the definition of photography using my toolbox full of shapes, colors, and lucid dreams. It's essential for me to fill every image with depth
either through the visual aspect or the story behind it.
Do you get any particular source of inspiration for the visual styles of your works e.g. do they arrive in relation to the place (physical, psychological, or situational) you were located at the time?
Having a wild fantasy as a teenager and experimenting with lucid dreaming at some point I just had so many images in my head that needed a way out.
My dreams are still a big source of inspiration. But also places. I have always been attracted to Asia with its magical tales and beautiful traditions.
Spending 6 years in Japan has made a big impact on me: Japanese mythology, with its magical characters, is another big source.
Can you dive a bit into the technical aspects of the works? Software or hardware used (in the broad sense; it could be thoughts and bodies), as well as the editing process. What are some of the particular challenges you and your team have faced in realizing the works?
On the technical side, I mostly stick to traditional photography, but with heavy post-production plus I add 3D elements sometimes or illustrations.
I spend a big amount of time on art direction planning as well. Lighting and photoshop are my main tools for creating depth.
When it comes to the video I have a big team that helps me to bring to life all the ideas.
Can you tell us about the relationship you want or aim to have with the viewer? What is the underlying approach to this relationship?
I've always just wanted to do what I loved the most. And the only thing I really wanted from people looking at my works is to feel something.
To sense beauty and become infatuated, to experience an epiphany, feel fear or even disgust. Get inspired or get angry. But just feel it. And for that reason, I try to feel every project and bring up some of my emotions while shooting or preparing it.
Tell us a secret about your work. Even a small one.
Be sincere with every idea and do every project in a way that I will be in love with it first of all.