City Dwellers: In her new set of works, Nataliya explores the relationship between people and animals in urban life, accompanied by masterful prints by Viktoria Veil and modern, decorative, wheel thrown functional ceramics made by Katalin Szallas.
Kingston-based artist Nataliya Zozulya started working as a figurative painter when she graduated from the prestigious National Academy of Fine Art and Architecture in Kiev, Ukraine. Her tutors were some of the leading artists working in socialist realism so Nataliya's artistic journey encompassed a departure from their dogmatic influence, developing her own style by interweaving her craftsmanship with her openness to the conceptualism and philosophy of contemporary art.
During her career as a professional artist, Nataliya completed a number of projects each having a distinct theme: her early subtle figurative paintings explored femininity, later bright bold canvasses depicted the impressions from her travels to North Africa and South East. Nataliya uses muffled, reserved colours in her series of London cityscapes, portraying the city void of the immediate physical presence of people. She continues to express her love to the great city in her intricate and unique digital collages, full of vibrancy and sound of the crowd, printed on canvas and hand finished with sprays and acrylic
The artist's attraction to the dazzling light and colours of the coastline resulted in a brilliant series of seascapes of North Wales, expanding on her studies of water and rowers for the Royal Henley Regatta.
This interest in people ensures that Nataliya is foremost an accomplished portrait painter. She likes the challenge to try to capture not only the exact likeness of the sitters but also their character and a sense of their inner being. She creates a happy atmosphere of interaction during the sitting hours where both an artists and the sitter are creators of the portrait. Building on the success of her earlier portrait series dedicated to the prominent people of Ukraine, she wants to find the Royal Borough’s unsung heroes who make life here so unique.
Nataliya explains: “Kingston is unique in that it's the perfect blend of city and country – but at the same time offers opportunities for people from every kind of background. I find it a fascinating and richly rewarding place to live, and I want to find and celebrate those people who make it so special.”
Nataliya works in layers and her mastery of oil painting techniques allows her to effortlessly adapt her methods to the demands of the project, ranging from washes, thin layers of paint, to coarse, spontaneous impasto, working with palette knives and, if needed, fingers to enrich the texture of the painting.
During her professional career as an artist, Nataliya held numerous successful solo and group shows internationally. She is a member of Hesketh Hubbard Art Society, Richmond Art Society, The Fountain Gallery Artists Association, National Union of Artists of Ukraine, Chelsea Art Club. Her works were accepted to the prestigious Mall galleries” exhibitions. In 2020 she was featured on Sky Portrait Artist of the year.
She has also enjoyed a thriving academic career in Ukraine, working as Assistant Professor at the Fine Art department of her alma mater.
Katalin Szallas produces modern classics in porcelain and stoneware from her Kingston studio. Each vessel is a one-off piece thrown on the potter’s wheel or handbuilt. Inspired by organic forms such as trees and pebbles, her objects are crisp and there is a clean, modern aspect to them. The decoration is focused on texture and contrast, which is achieved by using slip trailing technique and/or leaving some parts of the ceramic piece unglazed. Katalin seeks to capture quietness, a moment of stillness in the constant noise of modern living, managing to create the resemblance of bare branches and wintry landscapes.
Viktoria Veil, born in Kiev, completed her art studies as a master of graphic technology, lithograph, engraving, etching, as well as drawing, painting, composition and illustration. She then worked as a lecturer in painting and composition at the Kiev Art Academy.
Viktoria Veil has lived as a freelance artist in Germany since 2003 and has been a lecturer at the youth art school since 2013.
She has already exhibited her paintings in Ukraine, Russia, Germany, France, Belgium, Austria and Spain.
Nine small graphics by Viktoria have already been sent ito space on a Chinese spaceship “Shenzhou”, which can now be admired in the Millennium Tower in Magdeburg.