Artist Profile

Elena Guryeva

Novato, California

As human beings, we dwell in a fascinating and mysterious world, where often verbal language alone falls short to describe the complexities of our experiences. Creating artwork is a vehicle to visually express my perception of the world. I have lived in several diverse countries, which enabled me to learn multiple languages and observe various cultures. This wisdom drives me to respond in my art practice and explore numerous themes. I am inspired by this ongoing investigation and propelled to create new series of works, while using different means of expression in my art.
Visual language is a powerful and dynamic universal instrument of communication. My intention is to convey to the viewer my emotions, ideas, and perspective from an angle that differs from our daily encounters. The objective here is to conjure a positive emotional response, and to move people, in their own ways.

In my art I explore several topics.

In the series PHENOMENA, I’m motivated to materialize changes in nature. These shifts are often a part of a natural cycle, like a sunset, a low tide, or the arrival of a new season. At other times they are sudden events, like an earthquake or the collapse of a glacier.
In creating these paintings, I juxtapose the natural world with the digital realm to address the role that technology occupies in our society. Each pixel, or square, floats and levitates in my landscapes, assembling a narrative, like pieces of a puzzle activating the transformative forces that exist in Nature.

My series of works entitled INFINITY reflects the world in which we live and focuses on the idea of continuity in terms of time and space. This type of abstract landscape is inspired by scientific images of both the micro and macro cosmos.

In the series SPACES, I transform the personal, the commonplace, and the uncanny into dream-like narratives and magical worlds that unfold the mysteries of our subconscious and imagination. My aim is for the viewer to be compelled to step into the world that I have created, wander there, and break away from reality.

Elena Guryeva is a San Francisco Bay Area artist who grew up in Russia. A former practicing architect, Guryeva has since lived in several diverse countries. Upon her move to Belgium, she began making art. After her relocation to Santiago, Chile in 2017, Guryeva joined a group of artists and dedicated herself full time to painting. In 2020, she completed her studies in the History of Art and Contemporary Gallery Management at Sotheby's Institute of Art, New York. Since 2021, Guryeva has been living and working as an artist in the San Francisco Bay Area.