Elina Yumasheva’s practice celebrates ecological consciousness and the diversity of living and non-living forms through the use of oils, pigments, natural and other non-toxic materials.
Drawing from mythology, science and symbolism – she experiments with natural dyes to probe the quest for permanence while exploring the impermanence of being. As an expanded painter, her practice moves between canvas and beyond, morphing it through space, forms, mediums, techniques and the digital.
Elina explores the relationships between artist, environment, materials, and process where her artworks embody a dialogue between intention and unpredictability. Her practice challenges conventional ideas of control and aesthetics in artistic creation by responding to the innate characteristics of the mediums as they present themselves. The artist observes unpredictable patterns, where the materiality of the materials becomes its own source of reference. A performative element of the symbiotic process emerges, highlighting the delicate equilibrium between human intention and the formidable sway of the natural world, inviting reflection on the beauty inherent in yielding control to the forces of creation.
In her role as head of the Royal College of Art’s Sustainability Society 2023/24 (SustainLab RCA) – awarded the Society of the Year 2024 – she champions eco-conscious creativity. Together with the SustainLab RCA community, Elina led the society’s largest-ever annual exhibition ‘Co-creating With Nature’, bringing together over 30 leading artists and designers who embed sustainability through materials and processes across the Royal College of Art.
Elina Yumasheva holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Edinburgh and an MA in Contemporary Art Practice at the Royal College of Art 2024. She has recently exhibited at the Tate Modern Lates and 54 The Gallery. Her duo exhibition was named the top five in London by FAD Magazine.