Bio in English

https://gemini.google.com/app/eb9febde2c883223

Bio in English

Юрий Слободенюк

Bio



Yury Lobo



Born:



On 31st of October 1947 (age 78)



in Brandenburg/Havel, Germany



Nationality:



Ukrainian



Citizenship:



US-American





Education:



Kharkov Elementary School #88 (1954-1959)



Tula/Kiev Suvorov Military Cadet School (1959-1966)



Kiev National Linguistic University (1967-1972)



Majors: German and English







Known for:



Painting and writing



Movements:



Abstract Expressionism, Abstract and Expressionist Portraits and Landscapes, Abstracubism, Dada, Collage, Pop Art, Ready-mades, Cartoons



Credits



Gemini Credit:



Yury Lobo is credited by Google Gemini with invention of a new literary genre Neskazanitsy/ Liliputins/lilliputins. Based on the information available, Yuri V. Slobodenyuk (Yury Lobo) described his invention of Neskazanitsy ( Unsaid in Russian)in a text dated September 11, 2005. Yuri V. Slobodenyuk, also known as Yury Lobo, defined his invention, Neskazanitsy/Liliputins/lilliputins, as a new type of historical aphorism. The core concept of a  Neskazanitsy/Liliputins/lilliputins, is a phrase that an historical or literary figure never actually said, but that they hypothetically could have said, given their character or the historical context.



He also is author and publisher of the first Russian-American Phone Directory of Florida "Russian Yellow Pages" (2003) and was one of the co-founders and Vice Presidents of Russian-American Community Association in Miami, Florida (2000).



Contents:   



1 Personal life



2.1 Childhood and education



2.2 Professional career



3. Documentary



4. Art



5. Artist Statement







6. External links



7. Contacts



1. Personal life



Yuri V. Slobodenyuk (Юрий Владимирович Слободенюк), also known as "Yury Lobo" (born 31st October 1947), is an internationally acclaimed Ukrainian-American visual artist and writer. Yury Lobo is known for his breadth of abstract work, pop-art, collage, ready-mades, posters, cartoons and portraits.  Throughout his artistic career he has produced a significant quantity of works, which are represented in various private collections throughout the world. His art follows the example of Picasso in undermining the concept of the artist's obligation to maintain a single cohesive style. However, Yury considers himself first and foremost an 'abstract expressionist,' and this stems from a pivotal moment from his childhood: in July 1959, Yury and his mother happened upon the First American National Exhibition in Moscow, which featured Jackson Pollock’s masterpiece, “Cathedral”. The young boy who grew up behind the iron curtain was both amazed and shocked by such an abstract painting. Of course, at the only 11 years old in Communist Russia, Yury knew little about Modern Art or Jackson Pollock, but the impact of the piece was imprinted in his subconscious, and this moment would significantly change and determine the trajectory of his life forever. Later in his professional life, his interests became centered on artists of the Avant-garde and particularly on German expressionism represented by Bridge movement artists. He claims his favorite artists are (just to name a few): Van Gogh, Chagall, Kandinsky, Malevich, Duchamp, Picasso, Matisse, Miro, Brague, Klee, Warhol, Rothko, Richter, and, of course, Pollock. Yury has said, "These artists give me the creative impulse just to open up and paint 'from the hip' trusting only my own inner instincts, pouring my bursting energy in bold colors on the canvas."





2.1 Childhood and education



2.2 Life stations



2.3 Professional career



Yuri V. Slobodenyuk, also called "Yury Lobo," was born on October 31st 1947, in a Soviet Military hospital near Brandenburg/Havel, Germany, where his father, Vladimir Slobodenyuk (a Lieutenant of the Red Army), had been stationed since the end of WWII (from 1945 to 1950). Yury's father met and married Yury's mother Galina Slobodenyuk (nee Shupik)(1924-2023) in Kharkov, Ukraine in 1946. In 1950, Vladimir Slobodenyuk (1924-2008) and his family were transferred back to the USSR.



Yury grew up in rural Russia in a very conservative environment, where ”No Trespassing” signs were hanging on every door. From the age of seven, Yury attended a number of different middle schools in Russia and Ukraine until he was sent to the Tula/Kiev Suvorov Military Cadet School in 1959. He graduated at the top of his class in 1966, but choose to drop his military career altogether and instead to dedicate himself to the world of linguistics, the arts, and literature. In 1972, he graduated with flying colors from Kiev National Linguistic University, and shortly thereafter married and moved to Moscow. There, he created paintings for family and close friends. At this time, having spent his formative years in the USSR, Yury had not found the courage to share his passion for Abstract Expressionism and Collage with the public. He kept his artistic creativity mostly to himself and started to pursue careers in related fields. He studied Art History and found work as a licensed multilingual Intourist-tour guide in major art museums of the former USSR. He also worked as a journalist, an interpreter, a German language teacher, and even as a TV script writer.



On the 1st of April 1991, Yury Lobo fled the USSR for political reasons. He established himself first in New York and later in Miami, Florida, writing for several Russian-American newspapers ( Novoje Russkoje Slovo and  Russkij akzent), and eventually starting a monthly journal of his own (Russian Yellow Pages). One of his notable interviews was in 1998, with British actor Michael Cain. 2000 he interviewed in Miami Russian politician Irina Hakamada and Russian entertainer Igor Kio. In spring 2004, he interviewed developer Donald J. Trump, who was considering a run for President of the United States on the Democratic ticket.



In 2006, Yury Lobo sold his journal and moved to Palm Beach, Florida, where he established his successful ongoing career as a contemporary artist and writer. He is a member of Artists of Palm Beach County - where he has hardly missed one exhibition. In December 2016, Yury Lobo published his first book entitled, In the Wake of Basho, Bestiary in the Rock Garden, a poetry album which was introduced to the public at the 2017 International Book Fair in Miami, Florida.



In 2016, a short biographical documentary film about Yury Lobo entitled, Catching up with Pollock, produced by MoonBreak Productions, was introduced to the public at the annual Palm Beach International Film Festival, where it drew positive reviews.



Freedom of expression in America has motivated and inspired Yury to fulfill the dream of his youth: sharing his creative side with the public. His artistic name, "Lobo," is a shortened form of his Ukrainian last name, "Slobodenyuk," which, translated to English, means "a free man." “Lobo,” which is Spanish for "wolf," is also a symbol of a relentless will for freedom. Jackson Pollock was dubbed by journalists "Jack The Dripper" for his signature method of dripping paint on the canvas. Modern art critics call Yury Lobo “Jack The Whipper” for whipping the canvas with his high, energetic lashes of paint. For Yury Lobo, it is an ongoing race to catch up to Pollock.



2.2 Life stations:



Brandenburg/Havel, Germany (1947-1950)



Skopin, Russia,(1950-1954)



Kharkov, Ukraine,(1954-1959)



Tula, Russia,(1959-1960)



Kiev, Ukraine,(1960-1966)



Gapkin, Russia,(1966-1967)



Kiev, Ukraine,(1967-1972)



Moscow, Russia,(1972-1991)



New-York, USA,(1991-1991)



Miami, USA,(1991-2006)



West Palm Beach, USA,(since 2007)





3.Documentary:



Catching Up with Pollock, (2016)



Produced by MoonBreak Productions



Written by Jeremiah Erikson



Directed by Zachary Barton



Cast:



Yury Lobo- as Himself



Bruce Helander- as Himself



Zachary Barton- Narrator



Jackson Pollock- as Himself (archive footage)



Summary:



"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.Art by Yury Lobo:



Click below to view the interview of renowned American artist and art critic, Bruce Helander, from the documentary film Catching up with Pollock:



https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=FXjgdMGKCKQ



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vf1I1vSkHQ



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1eGpDLI6eU



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHQc80wlmQw





5."NotoriUS Jack The Whipper"



Yuri Slobodenyuk, known as "Yury Lobo", is an internationally acclaimed Ukranian-American contemporary visual artist. Yury Lobo is known for his breadth of abstract work, pop-art, collage, ready-mades, cartoons and portraits.  Throughout his artistic career he has produced a significant quantity of works, which are represented in various private collections throughout the world. His art follows the example of Picasso in undermining the concept of the artist's obligation to maintain a single cohesive style. However, Yury considers himself first and foremost an 'abstract expressionist,' and this stems from a pivotal moment from his childhood: in July 1959, Yury and his mother happened upon the First American National Exhibition in Moscow, which featured Jackson Pollock’s masterpiece, “Cathedral”. The young boy who grew up behind the iron curtain was both amazed and shocked by such an abstract painting. Of course, at the only 11 years old in Communist Russia, Yury knew little about Modern Art or Jackson Pollock, but the impact of the piece was imprinted in his subconscious, and this moment would significantly change and determine the trajectory of his life forever. Later in his professional life, his interests were centered on artists of the Avant-garde. He claims his favorite artists are (just to name a few): Van Gogh, Chagall, Schiele, Kandinsky, Malevich, Duchamp, Picasso, Matisse, Miro, Brague, Klee, Warhol, Rothko, Richter, and, of course, Pollock. Yury has said, "These artists give me the creative impulse just to open up and paint 'from the hip' trusting only my own inner instincts, pouring my bursting energy in bold colors on the canvas."



6. Artist Statement:



"My fellow countryman Kazimir Malevich once said, "Comrades, arise, free yourselves from the tyranny of objects!” In this sense I, like him, consider myself as a true abstract expressionist and also a revolutionary. My battle cry is: “Stop copying the world, create a new one!” This is not a far cry from what Picasso once proclaimed, "In art, we express what nature is not." And I am, of course, a strong believer in the unlimited positive power of vibrant colors. Whoever is afraid of bright colors is afraid of life, which I am not.  In the art of collage, I represent a completely different point of view. My slightly distorted collages are pretty close to reality and full of hidden ironic, sometimes tragic, messages. Being a history buff, I can’t help to be a mockingbird laughing at the human inability to learn from history, having of course observed that such ignorance is doomed to repeat itself. Every collage is some sort of time capsule with a letter to future generations enclosed. I love ready-made art, and I wish I had more of them to offer. A true artist is about inner energy which he or she tunnels to the public through the art: If there is no reaction at the receiving end, then the energy was either poor or lost in artistic translation.



-Yury Lobo, aka “NotoriUS Jack The Whipper”



7.External links:



www.yuryloboarts.com



***

The list of my paintings

http://stihi.ru/2017/05/03/11131





8. Books in German und English written by Yury Lobo available on Amazon:





1/In the Wake of Basho, 2017 (Poetry), in Englsh



2/Das gefluegelte Holzpferd: Mit Liliputins auf flinken Hufen durch die Weltgeschichte, 2019 (Aphorisms), in German



3/Stammheim-zu-Babel oder Geschichte eines Versagens, 2023 (Play), in German



4/ Hinter dem Vorhang  der Ironie, 2025 (Aphorisms), in German





Currently, Yury Lobo is working on three book projects in parallel:



The next volume of the series "Das gefluegelte Holzpferd," a collection of razor-sharp aphorisms in German that are intended to once again captivate the reader with a mix of wit and history from antiquity to the modern era.



The book of lilliputins in English under the title "Behind the Irony Curtain"



A non-fiction book in Russian, German and English that casts new, spectacular

glances at the masterpieces of the one of the most significant painters of Dutch and Flemish Renaissance Pieter Bruegel the Elder and already promises to stir up a lot of dust among traditionbound art historians.





9.Contact:



yuryslobo@yahoo.com   

***

Here is a fully polished, professionally edited, and structured version of your biography.

Redundant sections have been consolidated, numbering and headings streamlined, typographical and grammatical errors corrected (such as Michael Caine, Georges Braque, and Ukrainian), and the tone elevated to match standard fine art and literary publication profiles.

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
Opens in a new window
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