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(3.58 - 172 votes)About Kukula:
Kukula was born in a relatively isolated village about an hour north of Tel Aviv. Her few neighbors were mostly retirees, many of them Holocaust survivors. As a result her childhood imagination was nourished by equal parts princess fantasies and World War II horror stories. Thus the attempt to reconcile real life horror with fantasy life sweetness emerges as an almost constant theme in her work.
After receiving her degree in illustration in 2003 After receiving her degree in illustration from Vital-Shenkar in 2003, Kukula moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is currently based. She has worked with galleries such as CoproNason, Corey Helford, Thinkspace, Shooting Gallery and Roq La Rue.
Kukula’s paintings center on feminine, doll-like figures, often surrounded by objects with sometimes clear, sometimes obscure symbolic meaning. The work registers the influences of both classical European art forms and contemporary pop culture. In her figures’ poses Kukula recalls classical portraiture, yet the style is manifestly modern and pop-influenced. Kukula’s compositions thereby disclose her personal struggles as mediated by a rich multi-cultural heritage.
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Wokays . i died sketching . Inspired by artist - Kukula. Her artwork rocks to the max ! Nice ! I think have insomnia . Its 4am now btw . And i have cl...
I think these illustrations are absolutely exquisite! I can feel the tension between the ideal and the unfortunate status quo. The girls are simply lovely, even though it does not appear that they themselves believe so.
Beautiful work: color, emotion and layout. Very talented artist. Thank you for sharing your work! May Peace be with you . . .
Comment by Penelope — March 14, 2010
If you look at the clock that the character is leaning against, the time says 4:20. So if i’m correct i believe she’s stoned
Comment by anonymous — March 14, 2010
uh oh, someone who can’t decide if she wants to be Mark Ryden or Audrey Kawasaki. Paintings are very well executed technically, but I’m not a lowbrow fan.
Comment by Anonymous — March 14, 2010
The lack of emotion in the face draws me into the painting more and makes me search it to try to find meaning and interpret it in my own way. I quite like the aesthetics of the painting and the way it makes me think. Much better than just a pretty picture. Nice job.
Comment by Anonymous — March 14, 2010
I too may not be a fan of big headed dolls, but these are not dolls. These are illustrations and paintings. I personally think the meaning behind them, and the attention to detail are extraordinary. I also really like the use of color. Keep up the great work, and great job on getting a degree in illustration!
Comment by AtomicArt — March 14, 2010
Cute in a sad sort of way. Interesting.
Comment by Casey Shannon — March 14, 2010
It kind of reminds me a little of mark ryden…look it up if u dont know lol
Comment by Anonymous — March 14, 2010
these images are true comments reflecting
the sadness surrounding the human condition
humans short lifespan more filled with
tragety than what it truly is EDEN.
humanity is fragile
Comment by Anonymous — March 14, 2010
i think these paintings are very depressing.
Comment by someone — March 14, 2010
This popular style of sexy, bobble-headed, pouting figures isn’t my cup of tea. I would like to at least see a variety of expressions in the subjects, instead of the same cut-and-paste drab emotion from painting to painting. But the technique is very good, and the color schemes in the two shown above are delicious.
Comment by notquitesane — March 14, 2010