I create art to make sense of a past illness through layered mixed media where memory, repair, and resilience emerge through process.
You decide who will appear in Artforum Magazine, take home $25,000, and display their work at The Art of Elysium's Salon!
Want to be notified if Julie Abijanac changes in position?
Receive Text Updates
My favorite work merges painting, collage, drawing, and embroidery into layered abstract surfaces. I build, cut, stitch, and reconfigure materials so earlier gestures remain visible within new forms. The process is slow and physical; each mark records time and labor. I’m drawn to work that holds tension between presence and absence. Where repair, disruption, and accumulation shape the final image.
Where do you find inspiration?Inspiration comes from process, memory, and the body’s experience over time. During treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, making became a way to externalize complex internal states. I’m inspired by repetition, repair, and the traces left by earlier actions. Materials carry history, and as layers build and shift, forms appear and disappear, much like memories resurfacing and dissolving.
What would you do with $25,000?Winning this award would directly support my studio practice. The funds would allow me to purchase high-quality materials, cover entry fees for exhibitions, professionally frame finished works, and hire a photographer to properly document the work. I do not take this opportunity lightly; I would use the support with great care to sustain and advance my practice.
Vote for Julie Abijanac to become The People's Artist while supporting a great cause! Cast your free daily vote or make an even bigger impact when you vote by donation, supporting The Art of Elysium in their mission to use art as a catalyst to help people triumph over difficult life challenges.
Colossal is a nationally registered professional fundraiser that inspires people to advocate for themselves and those in need. Through online competitions like The People's Artist, Colossal offers participants the opportunity to make their mark while also making a big impact.
