Aliona Aziornaya was born in 1966 in Ekaterinburg, Russia. After finishing art school, she graduated from the Ekaterinburg Architectural Institute in 1989. In 1999 she graduated from the Art Department of Ural State University, also in Ekaterinburg. Since 1989 she has worked in advertising, and interior design while pursuing her career in art. Aliona has participated in several international exhibitions and a great number of personal and group shows all over Russia. Her works have gained increasing recognition both internationally and in Russia, and she has been the recipient of numerous awards. Aliona’s work is full of rich symbolism - to reveal the nature of these symbols and find the missing link between past and future, is fundamental to her goal as an artist. In her oil paintings, pastels, and mixed media pieces, Aliona fuses images of pre Christian, and pre Soviet Russia with a contemporary look. A large number of her works focus on the theme of Russian pagan spirits, which typically take the form of animals with human characteristics or facial features. In addition to pagan mythology, major themes of her work have included ancient hieroglyphs and pottery, and dreams. SELECTED EXHIBITIONS Liberty Post Station Museum Ekaterinburg, Russia 1989 (solo exhibition) House of Peace and Friendship Ekaterinburg, Russia 1991 (solo exhibition) Helen Gallery St. Petersburg, Russia 1992 (solo exhibition) Art Workers’ Club Ekaterinburg, Russia 1993 Municipal Art Gallery Kranovishersk, Russia 1996 (solo exhibition) Febru Gallery Ekaterinburg, Russia 1998 Central Artists’ Club Moscow, Russia 1999 (solo exhibition) Captain Gallery Ekaterinburg, Russia 1999 (solo exhibition) C.A.S.E Museum Jersey City, NJ 1999 Municipal Gallery Moscow, Russia 2000 Odoevsky Gallery Ekaterinburg, Russia 2000 (two man show) Museum of Photography Ekaterinburg, Russia 2000 (solo exhibition) C.A.S.E. Museum Jersey City, NJ 2000 (solo exhibition) Marine Gallery Odessa, Ukraine 2000 (solo exhibition) Zaporozhie Museum Zaporozhie, Ukraine 2000 “Young Russia” New York, NY 2000 Unseen Russia Gallery Vashon Island, WA 2001 C.A.S.E. Museum Jersey City, NJ 2001 (solo exhibition) Global Art Venue Seattle, WA 2001 (solo exhibition) Grant Gallery New York, NY 2001 Kronos Gallery Vashon, WA 2002 Kollizei Art Center Ekaterinburg, Russia 2003 (solo exhibition) City of Arts Paris, France, 2003-2004 Grant Gallery New York, NY 2005