Julia Beliaeva

Fragile City

Capturing Fragility

Immediately after the outbreak of the Russian war on Ukraine, the Ukrainian artist Julia Beliaeva (b. Haisyn, Ukraine, 1988) arrived in Gmunden, Austria, for a residency at the Academy of Ceramics. In her digitally generated sculptures and works on video, Beliaeva fuses past and present for an exploration of the events. Porcelain as a material lets her reflect on the heritage and lost traditions of her native country by combining novel technologies with the erstwhile popularity of the Ukrainian ceramics industry. Her new virtually created works were executed as ceramics by Gmundner Keramik during her stay in Austria.

Beliaeva’s most monumental work in porcelain to date, Fragile City, lends the exhibition in Linz and the publication its title. With writings by Kristina Borhes, Genoveva Rückert, and Alfred Weidinger.