Yuri Slobodenyuk, known as "Yury Lobo" , is an internationally acclaimed Ukranian-American contemporary visual artist. Yury Lobo is known for his breadth of abstract work, pop-art, collage, readymades, cartoons and portraits.  Throughout his artistic career he has produced a significant quantity of works, which are represented in various private collections throughout  the world. His art follows the example of Picasso in undermining the concept of the artist's obligation to maintain a single cohesive style. However, Yury considers himself first and foremost an 'abstract expressionist,' and this stems from a pivotal moment from his childhood: in July 1959, Yury and his mother happened upon the First American National Exhibition in Moscow, which featured Jackson Pollock’s masterpiece, “Cathedral”. The young boy who grew up behind the iron curtain was both amazed and shocked by such an abstract painting. Of course, at the only 11 years old in Communist Russia, Yury knew little about Modern Art or Jackson Pollock, but the impact of the piece was imprinted in his subconscious and this moment would significantly change and determine the trajectory of his life forever. Later in his professional life, his interests were centered on artists of the Avant-garde. He claims his favorite artists are (just to name a few): Van Gogh, Chagall, Schiele, Kandinsky, Malevich, Duchamp, Picasso, Matisse, Miro, Brague, Klee, Warhol, Rothko, Richter, and, of course, Pollock. Yury has said, "These artists give me the creative impulse just to open up and paint 'from the hip' trusting only my own inner instincts, pouring my bursting energy in bold colors on the canvas."

Yury Lobo was born in Germany but was raised in Russia and Ukraine.

In April 1991, Yury Lobo fled the USSR for political reasons.  He established himself first in Miami, Florida, writing for several Russian-American newspapers, and eventually starting one of his own. One of his notable interviews was in 1998, with British actor Michael Cain. In spring 2004, he interviewed Donald J. Trump, who was considering a run for President of the United States on the Democratic ticket. In 2007, Yury Lobo sold his newspaper and moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, where he established his successful ongoing career as a contemporary artist and writer. He is a member of Artists of Palm Beach County- where he has hardly missed one exhibition. In 2016, a short biographical documentary film about Yury Lobo entitled, Catching up with Pollock, produced by MoonBreak Productions, was introduced to the public at the annual Palm Beach International Film Festival, where it drew positive reviews.

Freedom of expression in America has motivated and inspired Yury to fulfill the dream of his youth: sharing his creative side with the public. His artistic name, "Lobo," is a shortened form of his Ukranian last name, "Slobodenyuk," which, translated to English, means "a free man." “Lobo,” which is Spanish for "wolf," is also a symbol of a relentless will for freedom. Jackson Pollock was dubbed by journalists "Jack The Dripper" for his signature method of dripping paint on the canvas. Modern art critics call Yury Lobo “Jack The Whipper” for whipping the canvas with his high, energetic lashes of paint. For Yury Lobo, it is an ongoing race to catch up with Pollock…

Rebeca Herrero

Editor&Publisher

of Art Bodega Magazine

April, 2019