Portland-based Yellena James’ art takes the candy-colored, superflat aesthetic of Takashi Murakami and traditional Japanese ukiyo-e paintings to create intricate shapes and forms that resemble alien jellyfish or neon-colored biospheres. Her work has been featured on Giant Robot, Vogue Australia and Rojo Magazine, alongside commercial contracts with Anthropologie, Nike and K2 Snowboards. She also has a prominent Etsy shop full of her signature prints.

While her work may resemble styles from across the Pacific, Yellena comes from Sarajevo, where she attended high school during civil war in the former Yugoslavia. Perhaps dodging sniper fire inspired her to adopt a sunnier and more other-worldly disposition when it comes to her work. Her last solo exhibition, “Stasis,” was at the Fenario Gallery in Eugene, Oregon.

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http://yellena.com/blog/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yellenajames

http://twitter.com/yellenajames

via EM Staff, 7 July 2009 3:22pm | |