A solo exhibition - Illo Elysium by Anastasiia Kuusk

1. BOUT THE EXHIBITION

Def: ILLO: Abbreviation for illustration. ELYSIUM: A place or state of ideal happiness; paradise.

Illo Elysium is an exquisite glimpse inside an exceptionally lively mind. A perfect imagined reality, unique in character and definition. With unwavering humour and unavoidable "cuteness" all carefully invented, dreamed and executed with a distinct dose of reality and extraordinary precision.

Illo Elysium is a body of work created in Hanoi from 2020 - 2023. This self directed collection of illustration is not part of a commercial commission. The motivation for this work is best described by Anastasiia herself; "All these characters, the imaginary and real places, and objects are just falling/leaking/swimming out of my head onto paper." Illo Elysium marks the first solo showcase in Hanoi of these escaped creations.

Anastasiia’s work is not just an imaginative introspection, it originates in the observation of life and her day-to-day experiences; motivated by sounds, feelings, scenes and narratives. Although drawn figuratively - but never literal in reality, her art is packed with astute references to humanity, literature, film and pop-culture; they are action packed vignettes of sharp wit. Though masked by the overall initial cuteness which she says is inescapable "I physically can’t draw not cute things" , it is vital to look deeper to see the immaculate detail.

Preferring to draw by hand. She works exclusively in watercolour and coloured pencil.

+ Opening: 06:30 (pm) - 09:00 (pm) 19th October, 2023

+ The exhibition will then be open daily 20th October - 6th November 2023 from 09:30 (am) - 06:00 (pm).

2. ABOUT THE ARTIST

Born in 1991 in Ukraine, Anastasiia graduated from the National University, Kiev, Ukraine in 2010 with a degree in Interior Design and went on to obtain a Master’s degree in Animation from the Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn in 2014. She has lived in Hanoi since 2019 and her artistic practice is based here. She works full-time as a freelance artist and also occasionally teaches illustration. Anastasiia previously worked as a character designer in a game design company before she went freelance.
Anastasiia is an illustrator who embraces traditional techniques, she loves working in miniature and her work is highly detailed. Anastasiia creates complex whimsical worlds with wit and humour, merging seemingly realistic situations with impossible protagonists.

She now works primarily as a children’s book illustrator. Currently she has 8 published books in the USA, Germany and Estonia.

This is Anastasiia’s first solo exhibition in Hanoi.

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**For the opening night there will be no parking at the venue, please park your vehicle at the parking area next to Quảng Bá Park on the corner - there will be signage. The walk back is only 2 mins, parking is free.**

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Cre: Work Room Four

Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/workroomfour

Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/334367579270025/