"Nostalgia The Liar" Painting

Yana Gordin is a Los Angeles–raised and based artist, art therapist, and licensed psychotherapist. Her current body of abstract expressionist work is influenced by psychological frameworks, using painting as a medium to explore the layered complexities of human experience. Her creative process draws from concepts such as transference, free association, and the dialogue between the conscious and unconscious mind. Her pieces transform under varying lighting conditions including UV light, natural light, and total darkness; inviting viewers into a dynamic, immersive experience that mirrors the shifting landscapes of both internal and external life. ​ Yana’s artistic journey began at the age of five, after immigrating to Los Angeles, CA from Moscow, Russia, with her parents. She formed her first connections as a young child who did not yet speak English in art class where she found a way to connect with others, expressing herself nonverbally. Years later in 2009, while pursuing her BA in psychology at Cal State Northridge, art classes once again became a vital outlet when she faced the sudden loss of her father. She found freedom, voice, and emotional release in abstract painting class. One year later she had her first art show at DTLA, was picked up by an art gallery, Artspace Warehouse in West Hollywood, CA, and was part of a group art exhibit at CSUN. She has had numerous exhibitions and art shows since then. Having been inspired by the healing power of art, she continued school to obtain an MA in Psychology with a focus in Marriage and Family Therapy / Art Therapy in 2014, and obtained a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Applied Clinical Psychology in 2017. Both her MA thesis program design and PsyD dissertation research was focused on grief. ​ Yana became a licensed psychotherapist in 2020 and published a book in 2023, “Beyond The Veil: Navigating Grief Through Spiritually, Religion, and Alternative Methods." In 2024, she returned to her abstract painting roots, embracing abstract expressionism while maintaining a private psychotherapy practice.