Leah Larisa Bunshaft

Reflexive artist from Barcelona

The core element of my artistic practice is the experience of facing an insecure world, of being aware of my own vulnerability. This is my personal experience, and at the same time a universal one. In my artworks, I strive to create a mythologised world in which one can visualise a peaceful serenity and reconciliation with our world. In my virtual spaces danger is sublime, abstracted, and not really at all threatening. Unfolding vulnerability, turning it into an object of contemplation, I invite my viewer to perform a mental experiment and do the same with their own experience.

For me freedom of pictorial painting, open to dialogue with the viewer, is extremely important. Initially I decide what I want to say to the viewer, come up with the idea, its figurative solution and only then choose the technique, material, type and style of artwork to show it as clearly as possible. I augment my artworks with artefacts, found objects, integrating elements of meticulous craftsmanship into my art. Each detail is like a singularity - it opens up new potential interpretations and sensations to the viewer's encounter with the artwork.

In channelling my practice into a central topic of vulnerability, the fragility of the human, I explore visual culture and its interpretations, temporality practices, and the cycle structure that defines the dynamics of life itself. I am interested in the ways these separate threads intertwine, discovering common rhythmic shapes and resemblances.

Thus, I see time as a special entity, which I express symbolically in my paintings, whereas in my personal experience it is associated with a feeling of insecurity, of being unable to control my own life. Within this context I see the very human approach revealed in the constant striving to arrange and streamline the flows of time, to create a perfect computational intelligence. The element remains invincible, the human intention persists through the centuries and this opposition forms such a shaky and tense balance that is close to the experience of life itself.

Accumulating a variety of topics in the aesthetics of enigmatic realism, I invariably turn to an introspective optics. My art is an experience of seeing myself, sculpting my own identity, tracing the lines of femininity in my Self and my perception. The issue of identity is particularly important to me because, as a global person, I have long been deprived of a direct and singular belonging to a local culture. And this is another common symptom of our times.

Leah Larisa Bunshaft @Dizlarka was born in Ukraine, spent her youth in Russia. Later she emigrated to Israel and currently lives and works in Barcelona (Spain).

She holds an MA from the Arts and Construction Department in The Novgorod State University. Leah`s post-graduate studies include advanced courses in graphic design, photography, art history, psychology and creativity, artistic strategizing programs

Trauma received in childhood, youth in the 90's in Russia and changes of countries influenced the choice of themes of the artist. A key theme in Leah's artworks is the vulnerability of the fragile human being in this insecure world. She explores her own vulnerability in the ever-changing conditions of contemporary reality, issues of femininity, women's life, feminism and self-identity. She is also fascinated by the theme of time, the cycles of life and death, change in the process of time, and the complex relationship between humans and time.

Her work begins with the idea she wants to figuratively convey to the viewer and the feelings she wants to evoke by doing so. From this she chooses one of the many mediums she works with: painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, digital art, embroidery, monotype, graphics, hand prints and mixed media techniques

Leah participated in solo and group exhibitions. Her artworks are included in private collections in the USA, Canada, Russia, Israel, Spain, Japan, Germany, Denmark.

Solo Exhibitions:
2022 - "Kaleidoscope", Solo Exhibition, Business Centre "Azrieli", Holon, Israel

Group Exhibitions
2025 - "Exhibition of emigrant artists", BUAT Gallery (Barcelona, Spain, curator Julia Surkova)
2025 - "Echoes of Vysotsky", ArtTek Gallery (Barcelona, Spain, curator Anna Khora)
2024 - "Yo soy mujer", Black Light Art Gallery (Valencia, Spain, curator Lisa Dakkar)
2024 - "Flying in dreams and real life", Creative Space (Barcelona, Spain, curator Sergey Voynovsky)
2024 - "Dreams & Nightmares", Boomer Gallery, Tower Bridge (London, United Kingdom, curators Anthony Fawcett and Katheryn Turner)
2024 - "Gifts of creative awareness", Hot spot (Barcelona, Spain, curator Sergey Voynovsky)
2024 - "ArtOnLoop Barcelona", The Holy Art Gallery, digital art show (Barcelona, Spain)
2024 - "Aura", virtual exhibition and digital show in 2 galleries (London and New York)
2023 - "Art Show in Times Square", Expo Metro (New York, United States, curator Rudolf Van Valkenburg)
2023 - "All Members 11", Artist House (Rishon Le Zion, Israel, curators Pnina Sarig and Vivian Birkenfeld)
2023 - "Muses on the move", Ulpan Etzion (Haifa, Israel, curators Vira Gailis and Dasha Ilyashenko)
2023 - "Barcelona 2023", Expo Metro (Barcelona, Spain, curator Rudolf Van Valkenburg)
2023 - "New Friends", Artist House (Rishon Le Zion, Israel, curator Eti Vider Varzer)
2023 - "Group Exhibition 15", Cultural Center (Tel Aviv, Israel, curator Gad Ben Horin)
2023 - "Green Peace", Cinematheque (Tel Aviv, Israel, curator Ella Rozenberg)
2023 - "Stories", Gallery "Vinogradov" (Berlin, Germany, curator Ella Rozenberg)
2023 - "About Women and Femininity", Centre of the Technologies and Art
(Ramat Gan, Israel, curator Dr. Avivit Agam Dali)
2023 - "Paintings on a Glass Ceiling", ZOA (Tel Aviv, Israel, curator Moran Jacobi)
2023 - "In This Winter", Gallery "On the lake" (Raanana, Israel, curator Rachel Zio)
2022 - "Home", Art Centre (Petah Tikva, Israel, curator Daniela Pinhasov)
2022 - "Life in Future", Gallery "Creators" (Yafo, Israel, curator Birliant Davydov)
2022 - "Under the Mask of Fame", Jaffa theatre (Yafo, Israel, curator Ella Rozenberg)
2022 - "What is Love", Gallery "On the lake" (Raanana, Israel, curator Alona Shleypak)
2021 - "7th Annual Figures & Faces Art" online exhibition, Fusion Art
2021 - "A goddess in every woman", Cultural Center (Tel Aviv, Israel, curator Alona Shleypak)
2021 - "Revival", Cultural Center (Tel Aviv, Israel, curator Dobrinka Encheva)
2021 - "Timeless Beauty" (Yafo, Israel, curator Dobrinka Encheva)
2020 - "Pushkin's Tales" Cultural Center (Tel Aviv, Israel, curator Alona Shleypak)
2019 - "Parallel Worlds", Contemporary Art Gallery (Tel Aviv, Israel, curator Olisia Romanov)
2019 - "New Israel Artists", Contemporary Art Gallery (Tel Aviv, Israel, curator Olisia Romanov)

2023 - 2025 - Working on a big solo project “Fragile Beginnings”
2023 - Charity Auction "Help Ukraine" (with "Impression Sunrice Gallery", Israel)
2023 - Charity Project "Secret Postcard" (with "Fresh Paint", Israel)

2023 - 3RD Place, nomination: "Installation" (Golden Time Talent, London, United Kingdom)
2023 - 2RD Place, nomination: "Painting" (Golden Time Talent, London, United Kingdom)
2022 - Grant of the highest degree from the Israeli Ministry of Absorption (Tel Aviv, Israel)

2024 - Art-Design Magazine, Issue 03 by The Holy Art Gallery (London, United Kingdom) with my artwork “Vision” of the series "Senses Alive"
2024 - Newspaper "Las Provincias", information about an exhibition "Yo soy mujer" (Valencia, Spain)
2024 - Site "El Jardin de Las Musas", article about me and article about the painting "Puppet Doll" (Spain)
2024 - Site "Para y Por Mujeres", article about feminism with the painting "Puppet Doll" (Spain)
2023 - Artmajur Gallery Magazine, Art history - march 2023 , article "Art and Feminism" with the text about the painting "Puppet Doll" (Spain)

2023 - 2024 - Artistic strategizing program, online course of Karolina Peskisheva
2022 - 2023 Artistic strategizing program, online course of Vera Gailis and KakdelArt
2023 - Working with galeries, online course of Julia Bas
2022 - Metamodernism , online lecture course of Karolina Peskisheva
2022 - Art Boost Residence of Get Art Fit (of Sofia Shapkina and Irina Razumovskaya)
2022 - Art of the 20th century , online lecture course of Karolina Peskisheva
2019 - 2020 - Painting course of Olisia Romanov, Tel Aviv, Israel
2011 - 2012 - Photographic Art Course of Mark Nazarov, ArtHol School of Art, Russia
2007 - 2008 - Graphic design course, High School of Practical Design, Moscow, Russia
2006 - Psychology of advertising course, St. Petersburg State Institute of Psychology
and Social Work, St. Petersburg, Russia
2005 - Creative in advertising course of Iya Imshinetskaya, Moscow, Russia
2000 - 2006 - Graphic Design, Master's Degree, Arts and Construction Department in The Novgorod State University, Russia

2023 - present - Independent Contemporary Artist
2019 - 2023 - Artist, Freelancer Graphic Designer
2016 - 2019 - Graphic designer, design studio "CONCEPT". Clients include: KLALIT, Ein Shemer, Migdal Haemek Municipality, Afula Municipality, PROFIT, NATOUR, TRIPEL-S, ISRAIR Airlines
2013 - 2016 - Art director, advertising agency "TEL AVIV-MOSCOW". Clients include: Taglit, Wissotzky, Strauss, HaMashbir, El Al Israel Airlines, Partner (ORANGE), Tnuva, YES, MONEYGRAM
2009 - 2013 - Freelancer graphic designer
2006 - 2009 - Art director, company "SPLAV 21 VEK"
2002 - 2006 - Graphic designer, company "OVEN"

Leah's artworks have been purchased for the private collections in USA, Canada, Russia, Israel, Spain, Japan, Germany, Denmark.