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Yuri V. Slobodenyuk (Yury Lobo)
Born: October 31, 1947 | Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany

Nationality: Ukrainian

Citizenship: American

Known for: Visual Art (Painting, Collage, Assemblage) and Literature (Aphorisms, Poetry, Satire)

Movements & Styles: Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Dada, Cubism, Collage, Ready-Mades, Caricature & Cartoons

Key Distinctions & Literary Invention
Inventor of a New Literary Genre: Yury Lobo is recognized as the creator of the Neskazanitsy / Liliputins / lilliputins genre (first articulated on September 11, 2005). Defined as a paradoxical historical aphorism, a Liliputin is a razor-sharp, concise statement that a historical or literary figure never actually spoke, but hypothetically could have, given their character, flaws, or sociopolitical context.

Community & Media Leadership: Co-founder and Vice President of the Russian-American Community Association in Miami, Florida (2000), and creator/publisher of the first Russian-American telephone directory and cultural guide in Florida, Russian Yellow Pages (2003).

Contents
Biography

Early Life & Education

Career in the USSR

Life in the United States & Visual Art Career

Chronological Stations of Life

Documentary Film

Artist Statement

Publications & Ongoing Projects

Media, Selected Links & Contact

1. Biography
Early Life & Education
Yuri Vladimirovich Slobodenyuk, professionally known as Yury Lobo, was born on October 31, 1947, in a Soviet military hospital near Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany. His father, Vladimir Slobodenyuk (1924–2008), a Red Army Lieutenant stationed in postwar Germany from 1945 to 1950, had met and married Yury’s mother, Galina Slobodenyuk (n;e Shupik, 1924–2023), in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in 1946. In 1950, the family returned to the USSR.

Growing up in rural Russia and Ukraine within a rigid, conservative Cold War environment, Yury attended primary and secondary schools across Russia and Ukraine before entering the prestigious Tula/Kiev Suvorov Military Cadet School in 1959. Although he graduated at the top of his class in 1966, he declined an officer’s commission to dedicate his life to linguistics, literature, and the visual arts. In 1972, he graduated with distinction from the Kiev National Linguistic University, majoring in German and English.

A definitive artistic awakening occurred earlier in July 1959, when an eleven-year-old Yury visited the American National Exhibition at Sokolniki Park in Moscow. Encountering Jackson Pollock’s iconic drip painting Cathedral behind the Iron Curtain left an indelible imprint on his subconscious, igniting a lifelong fascination with modern abstraction and artistic freedom.

Career in the USSR
Following his university graduation, Yury married and relocated to Moscow. Constrained by the official Soviet mandate of Socialist Realism, he kept his experiments in Abstract Expressionism and Dadaist collage private, sharing them solely with close friends and family.

Professionally, he applied his linguistic and historical training across related cultural fields: working as a licensed multilingual Intourist guide at premier Soviet art museums, an interpreter, a German instructor, a cultural journalist, and a television scriptwriter. Over decades of independent study, he developed a deep affinity for European Avant-Garde masters—including Vincent van Gogh, Marc Chagall, Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Joan Mir;, Georges Braque, Paul Klee, Egon Schiele, and Jackson Pollock.

Emigration and Career in the United States
On April 1, 1991, driven by a desire for intellectual and creative liberty, Yury emigrated from the Soviet Union. Settling first in New York and subsequently in Miami, Florida, he worked as a correspondent for major Russian-language periodicals, including Novoye Russkoye Slovo and Russkiy Aktsent, before founding and publishing the monthly directory and journal Russian Yellow Pages. During this period, he conducted high-profile interviews with prominent cultural and political figures, including British actor Michael Caine (1998), Russian politician Irina Khakamada (2000), illusionist Igor Kio (2000), and developer Donald J. Trump (2004).

In 2006, Yury sold his publication business and relocated to Palm Beach County, Florida, dedicating himself fully to painting, mixed-media art, and literature. His pseudonym, Lobo, is derived from the Ukrainian root of his surname (svoboda / sloboda, meaning "free man") combined with the Spanish word for "wolf"—embodying an uncompromising spirit of independence.

Dubbed by art critics as "Jack The Whipper"—an homage and dynamic counterpoint to Pollock’s moniker "Jack The Dripper"—Lobo is renowned for applying bold, gestural, high-velocity lashes of paint to canvas. Rejecting the notion that an artist must adhere to a single style, he works fluidly across Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, ready-mades, and biting visual satire. He is an active exhibitor with Artists of Palm Beach County, with works held in private collections internationally.

2. Chronological Stations of Life
1947–1950: Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany

1950–1954: Skopin, Russia

1954–1959: Kharkiv, Ukraine

1959–1960: Tula, Russia

1960–1966: Kyiv, Ukraine

1966–1967: Gapkin, Russia

1967–1972: Kyiv, Ukraine

1972–1991: Moscow, Russia

1991: New York City, USA

1991–2006: Miami, Florida, USA

Since 2007: West Palm Beach, Florida, USA

3. Documentary Film
Catching Up with Pollock (2016)
Production: MoonBreak Productions

Written by: Jeremiah Erikson

Directed by: Zachary Barton

Cast: Yury Lobo (as Himself), Bruce Helander (as Himself), Zachary Barton (Narrator), Jackson Pollock (Archival Footage)

"After encountering the artwork of Jackson Pollock, Yury Lobo overcomes sociopolitical oppression in Cold War-era Russia to chase his dream of painting. Upon arriving in America, he finally witnesses 'color' in his life after decades of living in 'black and white' bleakness on the other side of the Iron Curtain."

— Jeremiah Erikson

4. Artist Statement
"My fellow countryman Kazimir Malevich once declared: 'Comrades, arise, free yourselves from the tyranny of objects!' In this spirit, I consider myself both an abstract expressionist and a creative rebel. My battle cry is simple: 'Stop copying the world—create a new one!' This echoes Picasso’s famous insight that art expresses what nature is not.

I believe unconditionally in the transformative vitality of color: whoever fears vivid color fears life itself. In collage and assemblage, however, I adopt an entirely different vantage point. My distorted collages remain sharply tethered to historical reality—layered with irony, paradox, and tragic forewarning. As a student of history, I cannot help but act as a mockingbird toward humanity’s persistent refusal to learn from the past. Every collage serves as a time capsule containing an urgent letter to future generations.

True art is an exchange of raw internal energy channeled directly to the viewer. If there is no resonance at the receiving end, the energy was either lacking at the source or lost in translation."

— Yury Lobo (aka “Jack The Whipper”)

5. Publications & Ongoing Projects
Published Books
In the Wake of Basho: Bestiary in the Rock Garden (2017) – Poetry album in English; featured at the 2017 Miami Book Fair.

Das gefl;gelte Holzpferd: Mit Liliputins auf flinken Hufen durch die Weltgeschichte (2019) – Historical aphorisms and satire in German.

Stammheim-zu-Babel oder Geschichte eines Versagens (2023) – Dramatic play in German.

Hinter dem Vorhang der Ironie (2025) – Philosophical aphorisms and Liliputins in German.

Works in Progress
The next volume of Das gefl;gelte Holzpferd – A continuation of razor-sharp German aphorisms surveying global history from antiquity to the modern day.

Behind the Irony Curtain – A comprehensive collection of original lilliputins written in English.

A Multilingual Monograph on Pieter Bruegel the Elder – An interdisciplinary art-historical study (in English, German, and Russian) offering groundbreaking visual interpretations of the Flemish Renaissance master's most enigmatic works.

6. Media, Selected Links & Contact
Official Website: www.yuryloboarts.com

Catalogue of Works: Stihi.ru Painting Archive

Documentary Excerpt & Critical Analysis (Bruce Helander):

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Direct Inquiries: yuryslobo@yahoo.com


YouTube
Interview with Mr. Bruce Helander / Artist and art critic

Interview with Mr. Bruce Helander / Artist and art critic
Yury Lobo
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Interview about Yury Lobo's art with Mr. Bruce Helander /Renowned Artist and Art critic
Interviewer: Mr. Zachary Barton/ Founder/CEO of MoonBreak Productions/
Director of " CATCHING UP WITH POLLOCK "
Synopsis
After encountering the artwork of Jackson Pollock in 1959 the young Russian boy Yuri Slobodenyuk ( Yury Lobo) overcomes social-political oppression of Cold War-era to chase his dream of becoming an abstract painter and making it in America.
Filmmaker: Zachary Barton, Founder&CEO of Moonbreak Productions
Copyright 2016
Featuring renowned artist and art critic Bruce Helander and contemporary American artist Yury Lobo.
For further information please visit: http://www.yuryloboart.com
Opens in a new window

Interview with Mr. Michael Horst Menningmann  /  Artist
Yury Lobo
Opens in a new window
Interview about Yury Lobo's art with Mr. Michael Horst Menningmann / Artist
Interviewer: Mr. Zachary Barton/ Founder/CEO of MoonBreak Productions/
Director of " CATCHING UP WITH POLLOCK "
Synopsis
After encountering the artwork of Jackson Pollock in 1959 the young Russian boy Yuri Slobodenyuk ( Yury Lobo) overcomes social-political oppression of Cold War-era to chase his dream of becoming an abstract painter and making it in America.
Filmmaker: Zachary Barton, Founder&CEO of Moonbreak Productions
Copyright 2016
Featuring renowned artist and art critic Bruce Helander and contemporary American artist Yury Lobo.
For further information please visit: http://www.yuryloboart.com
Opens in a new window

Interview with Mrs. Rickie Leiter / Publisher of Rickie Report serving Artist & Artisan Community
Yury Lobo
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Interview about Yury Lobo's art with Mrs. Rickie Leiter / Publisher of " Rickie Report " serving Artist & Artisan Community of South Florida
Interviewer: Mr. Zachary Barton/Founder/CEO of MoonBreak Productions/
Director of " CATCHING UP WITH POLLOCK "
Synopsis
After encountering the artwork of Jackson Pollock in 1959 the young Russian boy Yuri Slobodenyuk ( Yury Lobo) overcomes social-political oppression of Cold War-era to chase his dream of becoming an abstract painter and making it in America.
Filmmaker: Zachary Barton, Founder&CEO of Moonbreak Productions
Copyright 2016
Featuring renowned artist and art critic Bruce Helander and contemporary American artist Yury Lobo.
For further information please visit: http://www.yuryloboart.com
Opens in a new window

Interview with Mr. William Roger Cummings / Real-estate Broker
Yury Lobo
Opens in a new window
Interview about Yury Lobo's art with Mr. William Roger Cummings/ Real-Estate Broker
( take the first part of interview )
Interviewer: Mr. Zachary Barton/ Founder/CEO of MoonBreak Productions/
Director of " CATCHING UP WITH POLLOCK "
Synopsis
After encountering the artwork of Jackson Pollock in 1959 the young Russian boy Yuri Slobodenyuk ( Yury Lobo) overcomes social-political oppression of Cold War-era to chase his dream of becoming an abstract painter and making it in America.
Filmmaker: Zachary Barton, Founder&CEO of Moonbreak Productions
Copyright 2016
Featuring renowned artist and art critic Bruce Helander and contemporary American artist Yury Lobo.
For further information please visit: http://www.yuryloboart.com
Opens in a new window


Yuri V. Slobodenyuk, professionally known as Yury Lobo (b. 1947), is an internationally exhibited Ukrainian-American visual artist, author, and cultural satirist based in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Artistic Style: Dubbed "Jack The Whipper" by art critics for his energetic, high-velocity paint application—a dynamic counterpoint to Jackson Pollock's drip technique—Lobo works across Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Dadaist collage, and political caricature. His creative philosophy champions stylistic versatility, bold color, and sharp social commentary.

Literary Invention: He is the originator of the Neskazanitsy / Liliputins / lilliputins genre (first formulated in 2005)—a concise form of paradoxical, anachronistic aphorism capturing statements historical or literary figures hypothetically could have said based on their flaws, character, and era.

Background & Journey: Born in Germany to a Soviet military family and raised in Russia and Ukraine, Lobo completed the Suvorov Military Cadet School before pivoting entirely to linguistics and the arts at Kiev National Linguistic University. After working in Moscow as an art museum guide, translator, and journalist, he emigrated to the United States in 1991.

Media & Recognition: He founded Florida's first Russian Yellow Pages, published multiple volumes of poetry and German-language aphorisms (including Das gefl;gelte Holzpferd and Hinter dem Vorhang der Ironie), and was the subject of the 2016 documentary Catching Up with Pollock. Current projects include a collection of English lilliputins titled Behind the Irony Curtain and a multilingual monograph on Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

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