CYCLES OF BEING – ART BY YURI ELPERIN

CYCLES OF BEING – ART BY YURI ELPERIN
 

Opening November 15th 2025 5-9pm

https://yuriopening.eventbrite.ca

Meet the Artist November 26th 3-5pm

https://meetyuri.eventbrite.ca

Exhibition: Nov 15 – Dec 4, 2025

Mon – Fri 10 – 5 or by appointment

Lipont Gallery is delighted to present “CYCLES OF BEING,” a new exhibition featuring sculpture and mixed media artworks by established Vancouver-based artist, Yuri Elperin. The exhibition opens on November 15th, 2025, with a public reception from 5 PM to 9 PM.

The artistic output of Yuri Elperin is a profound and expansive inquiry into history, culture, and spiritual beliefs. Spanning several decades, his work is not merely a reflection of his personal journey but represents an artist’s continuous questioning of humanity’s collective memory and universal spiritual values.

Born in Riga, Latvia, one year after WWII, Elperin’s early years were shaped by the beautiful architecture and design of a city that had largely escaped the war’s destruction. This environment instilled in him a strong, early appreciation for art and antiquity. His true artistic awakening and stylistic conviction, however, are closely tied to a tumultuous social and political climate. While studying at the Riga Art Academy, he discovered a passion for the blend of intellectual rigor and emotional engagement found in abstract art, with a particular focus on sculpture, photography, and cinematography. However, his pursuit of Abstract Expressionism (especially the Neo-Dada movement) was deemed unacceptable at that time, leading to persecution and his forced withdrawal from the academy.

This profound desire for creative freedom ultimately led to his emigration to the West in 1977. During his time in Rome, and his subsequent travels and research across Spain, France, and Italy, he immersed himself in Western modern art, drawing significant influence from masters such as Gerhard Richter, Antoni Tapies, Pierre Soulages, and Alberto Burri. These experiences not only enriched his visual language but solidified his artistic convictions. For decades, alongside his commercial photography and film career in Vancouver, Canada, he persistently pursued his art projects, developing a unique process for photographic collages and mixed media.

Since dedicating himself full-time to art in 1998, Elperin’s work has entered a powerful new phase—his three-dimensional Neo-Expressionism. Recent pieces, described as “sculpture/painting,” such as Phase One, Reincarnation Begins, and Metamorphosis, intentionally blur the lines between traditional media. They construct unique visual spaces through dynamic three-dimensional structures and complex material collages.

Elperin’s themes are grand and far-reaching; he commits himself to exploring the histories, mythologies, knowledge, legends, and canons of different cultures. This is clearly demonstrated in his cross-cultural narratives, from works inspired by Chinese history, such as Wu Zetian Dream and Transmigration Dragon/Emperor, to pieces delving into Eastern philosophies, like Beginning of Endless Knot, Buddha Eye, and Something is Nothing and Nothing is Something.

A significant and deeply meaningful element in this cultural exchange is the integration of traditional Chinese calligraphy. The traditional Chinese calligraphy in some of Elperin’s works are by Vancouver-based artist Li Ning. Li Ning’s disciplined, ancient script introduces a profound sense of cultural memory, meditative practice, and classical weight directly into Elperin’s contemporary, emotionally charged surfaces.

The most crucial core theme for Elperin lies in emphasizing the vital importance of spiritual beliefs within the memory of nations, civilization, and the universe. Whether contemplating life, death, and impermanence in Memento Mori and Impermanence, or exploring cosmic origins in Elements of Infinity and Material World, Elperin’s art calls for a transcendent reflection. In recent years, his focus has extended to the philosophy of the natural world, deconstructing and reassembling the “Five Elements” (Metal, Wood, Earth, Water, Fire) into mixed media works that offer a contemplative view of the universe’s fundamental composition.

Yuri Elperin’s art is a crucible where the personal history of displacement, struggle, and cross-cultural observation is fused into a singular vision. His works are not just tributes to history; they are profound meditations on humanity’s enduring spiritual realm. Viewers standing before these powerful and complex “sculpture/paintings” are invited to participate in a timeless dialogue concerning existence, faith, and memory.

Exhibition Dates: November 14 – December 4, 2025

Hours: Monday – Friday, 10 AM – 5 PM, or by appointment. Visit here to book.

Address: Lipont Place, Room 218 (no elevator), 4211 No. 3 Road, Richmond, BC, V6X 2C3

Admission: Free

Parking: Free on the south side of the building only.

Transit: Aberdeen Station

Contact: www.lipontgallery.ca, 604-285-9975