Lissa Laurus

Year of birth: 19.05.1993. 
Where do you live: Russia, Krasnodar.
Your education: An actress of theater and cinema.
Describe your art in three words: Idea. Symbol. Image.
Your discipline: composition (oil, watercolor).

Your series “Southern Market” focuses on the diversity of human faces. What inspired you to capture this theme, and how do you choose the faces you draw?

Humans are beautiful. The human body and face, their diversity inspire me the most. The probability of meeting completely identical people is zero. Even twins are at least a little different from each other. When I painted the series of portraits “Southern Market”, I wanted to show this diversity. Gender, age, skin color, eye and hair color, face shape, emotion imprinted on the face, clothes, gestures – so many details by which we can be recognized among hundreds of people in a huge and noisy southern market. Even in a crowd of strangers, we manage to see faces that we like or seem familiar. I wanted to depict several such faces.

Lissa Laurus | Little angel in the Eden | 2023

You mentioned that the triptych “Little Demon in Eden” explores the blurring of good and evil. Could you tell us more about the symbolism in this series and how you approach such complex themes?

There are three works in the series – “Little Demon in the Garden of Eden”, “Frightened Angel in Hell” and “Death”. The series represents the mixture of dark and light, bad and good, kind and evil. The human world cannot be monochromatic, it is a mixture of shades. In one person, in one personality, good and evil are mixed. The same situation can look positive for one person, and bring grief to another. We are always trying to divide everything into bad and good, but such a division does not really exist. The world is much more complex.

So, if you look at my “Demon” from afar, she will seem sinister to you, but if you come closer and look into her eyes, you will see that they are pure and innocent. Skulls, which many perceive as something related to death, are in fact symbols of connection with life, symbols of the human path to salvation. The Garden of Eden in the background seems tangled, like a jungle. Perhaps this little girl is simply lost here?

If you look at “Frightened Angel in Paradise”, then in general her image looks gentle and light, but there is still something demonic in her eyes, especially if you look at her point-blank. Hell in the background looks orderly and calm, it is not the creepy place described in the Scriptures.

And between them, Death is that part of existence that orders everything, equalizes. Death does not divide anything into evil and good, it itself contains everything from fear to a sense of peace and liberation.

I like to work with complex themes and concepts, they fascinate me and I easily immerse myself in them. For me as an artist, the main goal is not just to copy reality, a camera does this very well. My goal is to convey an idea, a state, a mood with the help of images, colors, textures. I think I will work on this until the end of my life.

Lissa Laurus | Southern market, old man | 2024

How did your artistic process evolve as you worked with mentors? Could you share any tips that significantly influenced your work?

Working with more experienced mentors accelerated my development. Firstly, I worked through the mistakes I had made before. Secondly, I began to work with oils and watercolors with more confidence. Thirdly, I felt that I could turn to them for advice if I suddenly felt a little lost in new techniques or genres of painting. This is very valuable.

You have recently started participating in exhibitions and competitions. How has this experience affected your confidence and artistic growth?

Exhibiting your work is always a bit nerve-wracking, because you are sharing something very personal with a lot of other people. At that moment, your paintings are no longer yours, they are now for everyone. I would like to exhibit more. So far, I don’t feel that exhibitions have had an impact on my development as an artist. I think it’s a natural part of the journey when painting is not just a hobby for a person.

Lissa Laurus | Southern market, young woman | 2024

Looking ahead, how do you envision your artistic evolution in terms of subject matter and technique?

Of course, I want to continue working with different materials and continue painting people. I have a huge number of ideas and sketches that are constantly growing. It will take me several decades to turn them into separate canvases or series. Therefore, all that remains is to work and improve myself from year to year. But what I know for sure is that I will continue to paint narrative conceptual and symbolic canvases.

How has your cultural background as a Russian artist influenced your artistic expression?

It is difficult for me to judge. Probably, first of all, it is a love of symbolism, a certain minor key in creativity, which can be observed in many Russian artists. I think this is part of Russian culture and perception of the world, it can also be traced in literature and music. I do not know a single Russian who would be far from symbolism in its various manifestations.

Lissa Laurus | Southern market, older woman | 2024

How do you stay inspired and continue to grow as an artist?

I don’t believe in inspiration. I believe in an idea, a thirst for creation and hard work. If a person is passionate about what he does, then bursts of inspiration are only a small part of his path. As long as I live this life, I can develop, learn and create, and I feel enough strength and motivation to do this. I am interested in finding out what else I can create in the future and how far I can go. This is what keeps me moving forward.