Gelman Yulia

About

Yulia Gelman is a renowned architect and interior designer with a career spanning over 30 years in contemporary art, marked by her pioneering role in promoting avant-garde art in post-Soviet Russia. A graduate of the Master's program in Architecture at the Technical University of Moldova between 1979 and 1984, she moved to Moscow in 1988, where, together with her husband Marat Gelman, she founded the Guelman Gallery in 1990, one of the first private contemporary art galleries in the former Soviet Union. Under her leadership as executive director for over 21 years, the gallery collaborated with prominent artists from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and Kazakhstan, organizing solo exhibitions, non-profit events, and participations in international fairs such as FIAC Paris, ARCO Madrid, and Art Cologne, introducing conceptual and politically charged artistic trends that documented the era's transformations to the Moscow public. The Guelman Gallery became an essential intellectual hub in the 1990s, exhibiting provocative works by artists such as Oleg Kulik, Alexander Kosolapov, the Blue Noses Group, AES+F, Komar & Melamid, and Tatiana Liberman, who criticized consumerism, religion, and authoritarianism through ironic humor and visual symbols. Increasing pressures in the Putin era, starting in 2000, culminated in attacks by extremists and government pressure, leading to the gallery's closure in 2012; at that point, Yulia transformed the space into the production company "Cultural Alliance," focusing on regional art, design, music, and literature projects. Previously, she managed the J&M Guelman screen printing studio (2001-2011) and served as artistic director at the Shaltai-Boltai concept store (2011-2017) on Red Square, promoting affordable art objects created by Russian and international artists. In 2014, Yulia Gelman moved to Chicago, USA, with her family, continuing her work as an interior designer at DESIGN PLUS ART and as an independent curator, organizing exhibitions such as "Caution! Freedom: Contemporary Art from Russia" at One After 909 Gallery (2019), which brought censored works from her personal collection back into freedom. She collaborated on educational projects like "The Ship of Tolerance" by artists Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, promoting tolerance in global schools and museums, and worked as a consultant at Martin Lawrence Galleries. With extensive expertise in gallery management, art production, graphic design, and curatorial work, Yulia represents a symbol of Russian contemporary art's resilience in the face of censorship, contributing to the cultural dialogue between East and West.