Yuliya Martynova

Exhibited at Manchester Art Fair, November 2025

Yuliya Martynova was born and raised in an oily little town on the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan back in 1980 — glamorous, she knows. But for the past 20+ years, she has called the UK home.

Trained in classical arts, she first attempted (and basically failed) to build a career in law. Fifteen years in the corporate jungle — jetting around the globe (Daaa… she wishes!), drowning in suits and contracts (a prison she loathed) — eventually pushed her to let go and pursue life as a real artist. It was the reluctant career path where you’re told you’ll never make any money… yet, against all odds, she’s getting much better at it. The painting side, at least.

Fast-forward to today, her work is recognised for its soft, dreamlike feel — weightless clouds you want to sink into — which has opened doors to galleries in London and the US, collaborations with luxury brands, hospitality projects, UK members clubs, and medical spaces including Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York and the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago.

Her paintings have had their five minutes of fame too: appearing in Doctor Strange (Marvel, 2016), Scandal (ABC, 2017), Wild Cherry (BBC, 2025), and gracing everything from Amelie Belgravia to The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Park Hyatt Aviara in San Diego, Timbers Kauai in Hawaii, and many more. Many of her works now reside in London City offices, keeping financiers company between spreadsheets through her partnership with the art consultancy ARTIQ. In 2024, Huntsman on Savile Row showcased her work during Mayfair Art Week — a true pinch-me moment.

Her themes explore skyscapes that flirt with fragility and strength, sailboats drifting in solitude, city-tinged abstracts on paper, and blossoms that echo nature’s eternal cycle — blooming, fading, returning.

View a selection of Yuliya’s works below ↓