On September 12, New York’s Perseus Gallery opens a month-long exhibition of emerging artists titled “Unlocked Identities.” Its 21 participants, coming from the former Soviet Union, now all live in different countries and continents. Especially for the show, they created works exploring identity and immigration experiences.
Fine Art Shippers interviewed the exhibit’s curator Julia Sysalova, an immigrant herself, about the project and its inspiration. An Athens-based art curator, critic, and art communication educator, she organized art exhibitions across Europe and the USA. In 2022, she established the Art Communication Online School, dedicated to guiding artists through the complexities of the art world.
Unlocked Identities to Open in New York
Why did you choose identities as a topic for this exhibition?
Julia Sysalova: A contemporary curator today has to address certain current topics. These include women’s art, identity, and ecology—issues that concern us both as individuals and professionals. For example, we recently organized a large group exhibition in Athens featuring 40 artists focused on women’s issues. As for immigration, it is a feature of our time, and it is driven by economic or political factors. This subject resonates with many, and artists feel a need to address these issues through their practice.
The upcoming show in New York City reflects on how people adapt to new conditions and cultural codes and integrate them into their lives. This exhibition is personal for all the participants and myself: we are all immigrants scattered across the globe, spanning Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Our experiences are different yet similar in many ways, and we all want to share and discuss them. This is why I, as the curator, decided to focus on this theme.
Did the artists create the featured works specifically for the exhibition?
Most of the works were indeed created specifically for the exhibition. I tasked the artists with exploring the theme of identity but didn’t limit them to focusing solely on the immigrant experience. Yet, many naturally chose that perspective as their lens. The goal was to create visual metaphors that, in some way, reflect the internal processes they experience—both those they are aware of and those they might not consciously recognize.
You run an online art communication school where you teach artists to promote themselves. Are the participants of the show your students?
All participants are our graduates from various years, and the exhibition is specifically designed for them. Some of them have already participated in our previous projects. For example, Maya Shi from Singapore, Veera Romanoff from Finland, Irina Pakhmutova from Cyprus, and Patricia Demba from Greece wеre recently part of the women’s show I mentioned earlier.
With “Unlocked Identities,” we pursued two goals. First, we wanted to give these emerging artists a chance to be noticed in the art community. Second, this project allows them to see what it takes to produce a themed work for a curated exhibition.
Why did you decide to organize this exhibit in New York specifically?
I have long wanted to hold an exhibition on identities specifically in America. Firstly, because it is a melting pot for all immigrants, where everyone, in one way or another, can find their place. One of the strongest American cultural codes is the idea of the frontier—historically, people here venture forth, conquer new lands, and expand their cultural horizons. I think the United States is a country where immigrants can get a sense of belonging. And of course, New York City is the largest center of contemporary art, so it’s a great opportunity for emerging artists to gain exposure.
How have experiences of emigrating, living, and working in different countries shaped you personally and professionally?
I feel that as emigrants, we can engage deeper with other cultures than just visitors. This gives us a broader perspective on the world. For instance, I live in Greece, and my fluency in Greek allows me to get a better understanding of this country’s culture and see more interconnections and parallels in classical and contemporary art. This applies to any emigrant who opens themselves to the culture around them, by choice or circumstance.
Understanding cultural codes is essential in today’s globalized world. Through cultural diplomacy, we can often achieve far more than by political tools.
Finally, can you tell us briefly about your plans for the near future?
My immediate plans include participating in the Platforms Project, an annual contemporary art exhibition in Athens. For the third consecutive year, my projects have been selected through a curatorial review, and this time, I will curate two stands. One will continue our women’s exhibition “What About Eve?”, which I curate together with Eva Maragaki. It features Greek artists and my former students. The other, “Go Game Project,” is inspired by the Chinese Go game. This project will be a reflection on the nature of conflicts. The Go game is over when there are no more contradictions between the participants, so it’s interesting to try to think of such scenarios in our society.
In November, I plan to attend the International Art Critics Congress in Bucharest as a member of the International Association of Art Critics. Unfortunately, I won’t make it to Art Basel Miami this year because of a tight schedule, but I’m planning to be there in December 2025 for a promising project. I won’t reveal the details now but I really look forward to it.
Unlocked Identities: Participating Artists
Oxana Akopov (USA), Asia Aveli (Kyrgyzstan), Patricia Demba (Greece), Consonance Ebb (USA), Irina Filova (USA), Galina Hartinger (Austria), Julia iSABEL (USA), Anna Livna (USA), Elmira Kandy (Kazakhstan), Lena Kardash, Spain, Evgeny Maklakov (Spain), Irina Metz (Armenia), Gali / Galina Milter (USA), Tatsiana Naumcic (Italy), Irina Pakhmutova (Cyprus), Garegin Protopopov (Spain), Lana Reiber (USA), Veera Romanoff (Finland), Maya Shi (Singapore), Inna Voronov (USA), Anna Yakusheva (UK).
Opening: September 12, Thursday, 6 pm – 8:30 pm EST
Duration: September 12 – October 10, 2024
Address: Perseus Gallery (456 W Broadway, New York, NY 10012)
Interview by Inna Logunova
Photo courtesy of the artists