Vania Zouravliov (HF Vol. 16) mixes elements of innocence, sexuality, beauty and decay into his intricate, colorless illustrations. Russian born and currently based in London, Zouraliov’s begins each piece without sketches, allowing the narrative of his dark universe to flow as the work progresses. From an early age, Zouravilov was inspired by The Bible, Dante’s Divine Comedy, early Disney films, and North American Indian imagery.
A Medium is an individual held to be a channel of communication between the earthly world and a world of spirits. In art, medium refers to a mode of artistic expression or communication. For Australian artist Lucy Hardie, whose elaborate drawings explore spirituality and duality of nature, they are one and the same. Hardie is the great granddaughter of a Medium. A story that has been passed down is that her grandmother once walked into a séance and saw a person levitating. Inspired by her own history and personal experience, Hardie then combines symbols of life after death and awakening to capture that which connects us.