About Iya Prytkova

Russian-born, Oklahoma-raised, New York-based.

Ever since I was little, art has set my soul ablaze. It has stayed a true and constant friend through the many upheavals transitions known to every immigrant child. Even as I grew up and took up the mantle of practicality, pursuing first biochemistry, then neuroscience, creative self-expression remained a fundamental need.

The pursuit of both art and neuroscience is a manifestation of the same desire: to understand what makes humans human. I am drawn to what's hidden inside us, be it a world of cells and molecules or the reality behind our eyes. To make the invisible visible - is that not magic?

My artwork encompasses meditative watercolor miniatures, stark ink sketches, and vibrant oils steeped in magical realism. The history of objects and the liquid nature of memory feature prominently in my exploration of inner worlds. My work has been featured at The Icahn School of Medicine 2022 Annenberg Art Gala: Between the World and Me. My written work has appeared in The Apothecary Issue I: Masks.