Fall 2025 Alex Katz Chair in Painting Vera Iliatova gives an artist talk about her work. Vera Iliatova’s psychologically charged images often depict women at instances of impending melodramas either with each other or within themselves, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty in the painterly mise-en-scène they are populating. As she moves through memory and time, Iliatova’s self-portraiture method anchors the dreamlike imagery of her paintings. She describes the vicissitudes of her younger self as “ciphers, stand-ins, imposters, and actresses.” The hybrid environments they inhabit mirror the changes in modern spaces; whether postindustrial cities, cryptic boarding schools, or suburban landscapes. Iliatova’s employment of naturism and emotive color schemes aid in an oscillation between the observational and, in the artist’s words “an anxious frenzied fête galante.” She intertwines elements of hyperrealism with fantastical narratives, weaving a tapestry that delves into the depths of memory, identity, and the subconscious.

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Iliatova grew up in Leningrad (former Soviet Union) and immigrated to the United States when she was 15. She received a BA from Brandeis University and an MFA in painting/printmaking from Yale University, with further study at the Skowhegan School of Art (2004) and a residency at Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation (2007/2008). Iliatova was awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Painting (2018), Cafe Royal Cultural Foundation Grant (2023) and FST Studio Projects Grant (2021). She has lectured on her work in numerous academic institutions across the United States.

Iliatova’s work has been shown across the U.S. and Europe. Recent venues include Fahrenheit Madrid (2025), Nathalie Karg Gallery (2024), James Cohan Gallery (2024), Warehouse Dallas (2022), Katonah Museum (2018) and at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco (2017). Her work was reviewed in Artforum, Art in America, Art News, Artnet, The New York Times, The Houston Chronicle, Time Out New York, and other publications. Iliatova is represented by Nathalie Karg Gallery, NYC.