JULIA iSABEL
KINETIC ENAMEL ON LARGE FORMAT CANVASES AS EXISTENTIAL EXPLORATION OF LIFE
ARTIST STATEMENT
My art is an existential exploration of the human journey, shaped by my path as a woman, mother, and creator. Inspired by Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, I examine how media, social norms, and inherited systems distort truth and fragment human connection. Through movement and embodied mark-making, I paint music and energy—allowing sound to guide my hand and, layer by layer, leave a tangible trace on canvas. Working with enamel on large raw surfaces, I use simplified forms alongside dripping and pouring techniques to articulate constraint, release, and balance. Faceless figures emerge as archetypal presences, inviting viewers to encounter their shadow selves and step into personal power. As the layers unfold, I empower women to reclaim their voices and truths. Ultimately, my work seeks to restore a sense of unity between self and society, mind and heart, humanity and nature.
RECENT WORK
THE IMAGE OF A SOUND
ACTIVIST WORK
BIO
Iuliia Rybchynska, known professionally as Julia iSABEL, is a Ukrainian-American contemporary artist, designer, and activist whose work bridges existentialism with political and social commentary and environmental advocacy. Born in Kyiv, Ukraine and based in Fairfield, Connecticut, she earned her Summa Cum Laude BA in Art and Design from Sacred Heart University, where she tapped into the intersection of movement, material, and meaning through art. Through her conceptual works and large-scale kinetic enamel paintings on raw canvas, Julia bridges existential exploration with political, social, and environmental commentary, igniting a profound conversation around the beauty and challenges of human existence and creating a safe space for healing. Her body of work critiques gender domination, societal manipulation, and consumerism, reclaiming intuition, awareness, and personal choice as acts of resistance. Her body of work bridges existential with political, social, and environmental commentary, igniting a profound conversation around the beauty and challenges of human existence and creating a safe space for healing. Through dynamic compositions, bold material choices, and kinetic techniques, Julia addresses existential questions while advocating for conscious living and societal change. Her work has been exhibited internationally at prominent institutions and fairs, including the Venice Biennale, Grand Egyptian Museum, LA Art Show, Art Miami, and Yale University. With her pieces housed in public and private collections across the United States and Europe, she is a rising voice in the ultra-contemporary art scene. In 2022, Julia was crowned Ms. Connecticut, expanding her platform to advocate for sustainability, women’s empowerment, and social justice on a broader stage. Her work have been featured in media outlets such as Forbes, The Art Newspaper, and Voice of America, highlighting her innovative approach to merging activism with contemporary art. Julia has also collaborated with nonprofits, environmental initiatives, and educational programs to expand the reach of her art beyond the gallery space.
EXHIBITIONS
Solo Shows 2021 Into the Horizon: Monumental Art for Environment, Art and Design Gallery – Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, USA Julia iSABEL, Art Show International Group Shows 2025 Empower Her, Art Forum, SaphiraVentura Gallery – Grand Egyptian Museum. Cairo, Egypt Thought, Image, Space, Makowsky Gallery – New York, NY, USA For the Creative By the Cretive, Artventurous & Paramount Awards (APA) – Paramount Hotel, Dubai, Arab Emirates Spring Knights, Order of Malta, Charity Auction – New York, NY, USA Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary, Art Miami – Palm Beach, FL, USA Stoked Malibu Gallery – Malibu, CA, USA LA Art Show – Los Angeles, CA, USA Crossing the Line, Ruh Art Hub, Mriya Gallery – New York, NY, USA Art Bound Miami and Lesova Soup Kitchen, Charity Auction – New York, NY, USA Mommy's Heart, Charity Auction – Palm Beach, FL, USA 2024 Iterations, Knowlton Gallery – Bridgeport, CT, USA White Cross Ball, Order of Malta, Charity Auction – Metropolitan Club, New York, USA Guy Webster, Stoked Malibu Gallery – Miami, CA, USA What About Eve, Platforms Project, International Independent Art Fair – Athens, Greece Unlocked Identities, HMVC Gallery with Times Square broadcasting – New York, NY, USA Unlocked Identities, Perseus Gallery – New York, NY, USA Transitions, Knowlton Gallery – Bridgeport, CT, USA PATHs, SHIM, Venice Biennale – Palazzo Pisani-Revedin, Venice, Italy Miya Gallery Hamptons Exhibition, Ruch Art Hub, Blue Check Ukraine, Charity Auction – Hamptons, NY, USA Ride the Wave, Stoked Malibu Gallery – Malibu, CA, USA SHERO, Ruh Art Hub, Mriya Gallery – New York, NY, USA 2023 Art Aqua Miami, Art Miami – Miami, FL, USA The Collision of Art: AI: Eco, The Knowlton – Bridgeport, CT, USA Equisit AI, SHIM – www.shimartnetwork.com/exquisite-ai 2022 Art Saves Lives, Razom, Palm Beach Art Gallery Charity Auction – Palm Beach, FL, USA 2021 Water International Art Competition, Art Show International – www.artshowinternational.com ART Box 3.0, Swiss Expo – Zurich, Switzerland Virtual Solo Exhibit Award Competition, Art Show International – www.artshowinternational.com SILA W59, Society of Illustrators Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA, USA Annual Juried Student Art Exhibit, Art and Design Gallery – Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, USA 2020 SILA W58, Society of Illustrators Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA, USA Complicit: Erasure of the Body, Nasty Women of CT – Yale Divinity School, New Haven, CT, USA Annual Juried Student Art Exhibit, Art and Design Gallery – Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, USA 2019 Annual Juried Student Art Exhibit, Art and Design Gallery – Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, USA
AWARDS
2025 ORDER OF QUEEN ANNE “HONOR OF THE FATHERLAND” to an outstanding woman whose leadership in ecology and sustainable development inspires change and helps shape a conscious future for humanity, Leaders of the 21st Century General Directorate – Kyiv, Ukraine APA IN THE PAINTING CATEGORY, Artventurous & Paramount Awards (APA) – Paramount Hotel, Dubai, Arab Emirates 2021 SILA W59, Society of Illustrators Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA, USA RUNNER-UP PRIZE AWARD, Water International Art Competition, Art Show International – https://www.teravarna.com DIGITAL SOLO EXHIBIT AWARD, Art Show International – www.teravarna.com/artists/julia-isabel 2ND PLACE in Painting category, HONORABLE MENTION in Web Design category, Annual Juried Student Art Exhibit, Art and Design Gallery – Sacred Heart University – Fairfield, CT, USA 2020 SILA W58, Society of Illustrators Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA, USA Two 1ST PLACES in Painting and Illustration categories, Two 2ND PLACES in Editorial and Interactive 2D Animation categories, Two HONORABLE MENTIONS in Painting and Illustration categories, Annual Juried Student Art Exhibit, Art and Design Gallery – Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, USA 2019 Two 1ST PLACES in Drawing and Illustration categories, Annual Juried Student Art Exhibit, Art and Design Gallery – Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, USA
PUBLICATIONS
VENU Magazine issue 41, p.108 – 2025 Artdventurous Magazine issue 41, p.108 – 2025 Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg Lippe and T2conline.com – 2025 Forbes – 2024 Holos Ameryky – 2024 The Art Newspaper – 2024 Artnews Magazine – 2024 Artdventurous Magazine – 2024 Upmag – 2024 Swiss Expo Art Catalog – 2021 access to all the info they need, while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, or set your text box to expand on click. Write your text here...
COLLECTIONS
Private collections in the USA and Greece. Ukrainian Museum of Canada – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Sacred Heart University – Fairfield, CT, USA
STUDIO VISIT
Schedule a studio visit or inquire about commissioned work.
COMMISSION AN ARTWORK
Discuss a custom artwork created specifically for your space, vision, or collection.
Julia iSABEL creates commissioned artworks developed in conversation with collectors, architects, and spaces. Each work grows from the artist’s language of movement, sound, and enamel gesture on large-format canvas. Inspired by themes such as the ocean, the human form, and the relationship between music and visual rhythm, every commission becomes a unique extension of the artist’s ongoing practice.
