Ellaya Yefymova is a member of the Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory
Ellaya Yefymova (b. 1990, Ukraine) is a physician-turned-artist based in Lisbon, whose work explores the themes of mortality, resilience, and the conscious experience of life. After fleeing the war in Ukraine in 2022 and overcoming clinical depression, she began developing her ongoing series Memento Vivere – a contemporary reinterpretation of the Memento Mori tradition, aimed not at romanticising or trivialising death, but at inspiring purposeful, conscious living. Ellaya’s art is deeply influenced by vanitas and existentialism philosophy.
Ellaya believes it is time for humanity to cease wasting lives and resources on wars and instead focus on technological, emotional, and personal evolution – to finally become a better version of humans – “humans 2.0.” As Irvin D. Yalom wrote “though the physicality of death destroys us, the idea of death may save us”.
Ellaya was nominated for the Portal Art Prize (Ukraine, 2020), the Art Gemini Prize (UK, 2021), and participated in the London Art Biennale in 2023. Her work has been exhibited in Ukraine, Portugal, Mexico, Germany and the United Kingdom, including multiple charity exhibitions in support of Ukraine. Now, in 2025, she is a part of 2 international art projects – “Echoes of Unity” and “Tzompantli”.
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