Maria Bilyan

Maria Bilyan was born in 1986 in Ternopil, western Ukraine. She graduated from the Ivan Franko National University in Lviv and Central St Martins in London. She has described the photographic series 'Fragments of Melancholy and Joy', which the present work forms part of, in the following way: 'So often my body is the only flesh I can touch or see and my mind is the only companion I have. For some, loneliness can be as scary as darkness, yet the depth and beauty of darkness can be seen only when we are lonely. By turning a camera onto myself I not only embrace my solitude, but also become a hunter of my own identity. I use my body to express the ambivalence between melancholy and the joy of human existence. My body becomes an instrument through which I show all the ambiguities it encloses; beauty and ugliness, pleasure and pain, desire and disgust.'

*The Consignor is donating 100% of the hammer price from the sale of this and other designated artworks, to be sold during Sotheby’s Contemporary Discoveries online sale held from May 13-19, 2022, to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a not-for-profit humanitarian aid organization that is helping to support families affected by the crisis in Ukraine. In addition, in relation to these designated artworks, Sotheby’s will donate 1) 100% of its Overhead Premium to IRC, and 2a) where the artwork is consigned by Ukrainian artist(s), 100% of its Buyer's Premium to such artist(s), and 2b) for all other artworks, its Buyer's Premium, after deducting expenses, to IRC. No portion of the purchase price is tax-deductible. For more information about the IRC, visit www.rescue.org