Alexander Yulish, a New York native, is a contemporary artist whose work delves into the realms of improvisation and abstraction, illuminating the inner psychology of both human and external forms. His large-scale paintings serve as a canvas for the exploration of gestural complexity and color arrangements, revealing abstract figurative forms through a direct and impasto brush technique.

His artistic journey is marked by a profound engagement with the lyrical impulse that unifies his compositions. His paintings, characterized by their harmonious undulations and discordant moments, offer a window into the depths and complexities of the human psyche. Each work becomes a vessel for a tactile urgency, allowing for an intimate dialogue between the artist and viewer.

A graduate of Connecticut College with a focus on fine art, he has garnered recognition through numerous solo exhibitions, including "Immovable Thoughts" at ACE Gallery in Los Angeles and Trinity College London. Additionally, his work has found a home in prestigious collections such as the Museo Jumex in Mexico City, cementing his status as a notable presence in the contemporary art world. His current solo exhibition at Gallery AP Space showcases the space in between words and actions; the perceived action and inaction; the spoken and unspoken.

Please share your journey into the world of art. What initially drew you to painting, and how has your style evolved over the years?
It feels like a moment ago I decided to dedicate my life to being a painter. It has been a mercurial journey filled with moments of clarity and haziness. Twelve years ago, I decided to inhabit this art form. I started late but felt I needed my life experiences and all that came before so I could use them in my work.

My mother, Barbara Pearlman, is an artist and sculpturist so I grew up in a world full of creatives. I learned color theory and how to balance a painting from watching her in her studio which was located in the back of our house. She taught me how to render and to obtain the fundamentals and then taught me to let what you have learned go to have the ability to create your own language. I would call it an individual language that is yours and yours only and is identifiable style. In essence, it is a map of how you see the world.

Your work often explores the intersection of improvisation and abstraction. Elaborate on how you approach this dynamic within your creative process?
I feel a need to explore the dance between abstraction and figurative as it gives me the ability to loosen and to explore movement in the work more freely. I feel there is not much difference between abstraction and figurative. They are both striving to express oneself using the same alphabet but using it in a way that is tad different. To melt them together is what excites me.

My creative process is just getting into the studio and working on a piece, whether in rain or shine. With or without inspiration. Waiting for inspiration could be a death of a piece. It will find you if you are in their working. Process to me is simply showing up.

Your use of the impasto brush technique creates rich textures and layers within your paintings. How do you navigate the balance between building up these layers and maintaining the integrity of the composition?
There are lots of times there is paintings under the painting I am working on. Ones that almost expresses the journey that was being explored on the canvas. They are not forgotten there but they create an underbelly of layers and most importantly a nervous system beneath. An energy that envelopes the work and gives wonderful surprises when it creates patterns and distinct markings. The integrity of a composition is the ability to navigate the work as if it is a puzzle where I have to balance color and movement. A painting leaves visible evidence of movement and expressiveness that collide into one another.

Describe a particularly memorable moment or experience that influenced your artistic practice?
I remember seeing a painting my mother did and it hit my right in my heart. I asked her if I could have it. She looked at me and said she would love to but she had already painted over it. I asked her why. Her reply was that it is a process and that the journey of the work was completed. “Don’t hold onto what you think is important.” To her it was all about the process and not the end result.

How do you perceive the role of the artist in contemporary society, and what responsibilities do you believe artists have in shaping cultural discourse?
Artists are able to create an X-ray of the life that is happening around them by expressing it internally and projecting it outwardly. We have an obligation to create conversations that are pleasant and on the other hand utterly uncomfortable. Like a knife that is dull on parts of the blade and sharp on another, it depends on how sharp you want to make your work and how deep you want it to cut the viewer. If one creates an imprint that inevitably comes to the surface and shapes cultural discourse. The artist is one of the leaders of culture.

Your solo exhibition at Gallery AP Space is currently being shown. Could you provide some insight into the themes or concepts that will be explored in this new body of work?
The space in between is where words don’t suffice. Where we are caught in between what is said and not said. It is a scary magical place all at the same time. A place where we find out what we really feel. I let the viewer also decide its meaning as theirs in the most important. They are expressing their owns views of the work which is the most exciting for me.

What aspirations or projects do you have for your future artistic career? Are there any new techniques or mediums you're eager to explore?
One day I would like to explore sculpture. That interests me but I am not ready yet. I have a lot more exploration to do before I enter that artistic form. I wish I had more insight into this question. All I want is to be brave on the next iteration of my work. When a new alphabet comes to the forefront it comes from an unknown place.

Talent: Alexander Yulish
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director: Mike Ruiz
Photographer: Kwaku Alston
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Makenna Tourville, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine

Contemporary Artist, Alexander Yulish, Explores Gestural Complexity & Color Arrangement