BIO

Lola Lonli was born in town of Yelets in Lipetsk Oblast, Russia. She spent her childhood in a village in the Zagorsky (Sergievo-Posadskiy) District of Moscow Region, Russia.In 1988, graduated from 8th class of secondary school #2 in Novo-Sinkovo village in Dmitrovsky District, Moscow Oblast. Entered college of arts named after year 1905 in Moscow. Left the college after first grade.
 
At the age of two, she started to draw. At the age of four, during a visit to Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra (monastery), she decided she wanted to be an artist. By the age of 15, without assistance, she mastered the techniques of India ink drawing and oil painting. From that time she generally resides in Moscow.
 
Since 1993, she has been developing and mastering her own technique of painting with the paints of her own creation, consisting of egg tempera with natural mineral pigments and essential oils. She is studying, on her own, anthropology, ethnography, the mythology of various nations, and diverse techniques of drawing and painting.
 
The first public exhibition of her art was in 1989 at a show called the "Destiny of Roads" in Riga, Latvia.
 
From 1993 to 1995, she participated in joint exhibitions with a group of artists called "Union of African Persons". The first of those exhibitions, called "Invitation to Journey", was held in Moscow in 1993. In 1994 and 1995, together with the Union of African Persons and the Institute of African Studies (part of the Russian Academy of Sciences), she organized two exhibitions that included music, lectures, selling of African handicrafts, international meetings, and business seminars. From then on, her every exhibition is usually associated with performances of some kind.
 
In 1996, she joined the Creative Artists Union of Russia and The International Federation of Artists, Moscow branch, drawing department.
 
In 1999, her first solo exhibition, "Roots of Life are growing into Heaven", was held in the Yakimanka gallery in Moscow.
 
Since 1999, she began cooperation with Moscow International Centre of Roerichs, Museum of Nicholas Roerich, and its director, L. V. Shaposhnikova. In 2000, Lola had first solo exhibition in this museum, "Living Legends of Eternity". Later she had three more solo exhibitions in the Museum: “From the heart of legends” in 2006, “Multicolored sparks of Universe” in 2013 and “New World” in 2017. The last exhibition was closed due to the Museum seizure and paintings were returned to the author only after three months. Lola Lonli was as well among organizers and participants of the festival “Cosmic Mystery” in 2010 and of the charity vernissage “Unity” in 2014. There are 15 paintings by Lola Lonli in the collection of International Center of Roerichs. These paintings participated in the exhibitions “Unearthly Worlds of Earthly Artists" in 2003, “At the shores of different worlds” in 2011, “Russian cosmists of XX-XXI centuries” in 2013, “Tuned to the space” in 2018. From 2014 until seizure of the Museum, Lola conducted workshops of tempera painting there.
 
In 1999, Lola started to cooperate with Ural branch of International league for culture protection, its vice-president V.P.Anufriev. From 2000 through 2006, with support of the League, she carried 15 solo exhibitions in cities and towns in the Ural region, starting in Yekaterinburg.
 
In 2000, she moved to city of Nikolaev, Ukraine, where joined an artists' community called "Club of women artists", and had twelve exhibitions with the Club.
 
In 2001, basing on her own experience of self-study, she established her own method of art education applicable to students of any age and background. She established an art school called "Treasure of the World" in Nikolaev. More than 60 people have attended the school, and 11 exhibitions of students' artwork have been held in Nikolaev, Kherson, and Ochakov. Students' artwork has been entered in several contests, and they have been given awards at three consecutive biennales of The V. V. Vereshchagin Nikolaev Art Museum. At the contest "Peace to the Earth – Flag of Peace in the Hands of Children", held in 2006 by the International Centre of Roerichs, all artworks were awarded diplomas, and two of them were printed in Culture and Time magazine. In 2015, the art school “Treasure of the World” was reopened at International Center of Roerichs.
 
In 2017, there was an exhibition of Lola’s students from art school at Museum of Nicholas Roerich. In 2001, Lola joined Nikolaev society of Nicholas Roerich, "Light in the Way". Since 2002, she has been a member of the board of this society. From 2000 to 2008, she had around 20 exhibitions in cities and towns of Ukraine, some of them with the support of this society.
 
Since 2005, she has collaborated with the Nikolaev poets' society "Ninth Sphinx" and styled its literary anthology of the same name. There were many poetic and musical performances at her exhibitions, including those in Moscow, Nikolaev, and Dniepropetrovsk.
 
In 2009, Lola returned to Moscow There she held several art-music performances with slide shows of her artworks in Moscow clubs in collaboration with the bands "Rada and Blackthorn", "Afrikanda", and "Afru".
 
From 2010 she participates in exhibitions and art competitions by art community "Wind of Wanderings" where her paintings were awarded with diplomas and gold medal.
 
In 2011, she joined the Artists Trade Union of Russia, Moscow branch.
 
In 2011, Lola started to use fluorescent pigments in her paintings (shining in Black light) to better depict the energetic picture of the world.
 
From 2011 to 2013, she was represented in the US by the Agora Gallery, New York City. In 2012, she participated in the exhibition "Symphony of Color" there.
 
In 2013-2015 she participated in "Parallax Art Fair", as well as in exhibitions at galleries Camden Image Gallery, Gabriel Fine Art in London.
 
She took part in the international project "Art Cocktail" held in Bruges, Belgium, in November 2013.
 
In 2013-2016, her solo exhibition "Space of Earthly Legends" traveled through cities and towns of Siberia (Novosibirsk, Kemerovo and around).
 
From 2013, Lola Lonli’s art is represented in Norway by Kunst Uten Grensen (Gudim Handel) company. In February 2016, they organized solo exhibition “Flying with Music” at Galleri Fjoset, Oslo, Norway, and participated in several group exhibitions and events.
 
In 2015 and 2017, she participated in Amsterdam International Art Fair, Amsterdam, where has been noted by the jury of the art competition.
 
In 2016, her solo exhibition “From the ancient legends to the New World” took place in the exhibition hall of International Roerich Memorial Trust, Naggar, India (Roerich mansion).
 
In 2018, at city museum-exhibition center of Tver, there was the exhibition “We all are from the depth of the stars…” of Lola Lonli’s paintings together with artworks of winners of 1st International competition of children’s art “We are children of the Space” conducted by Charitable Foundation named after Helena Roerich.
 
Since 2018, Lola started to work in new mixed technique, combining tempera painting with acrylic drawing on canvas. The first artwork of this style won 1st place and gold medal in nomination 'Professional' at art exhibition-contest 'Encylopedia of artist' of international art-project 'The facets". New series of artworks was first presented in 2019 with support from Charitable Foundation named after Helena Roerich at solo exhibition “Where Heaven walks the Earth” in Library named after Grimm Brothers in Moscow. Then it was exhibited in Vladikavkaz and in the exhibition hall of International Roerich Memorial Trust, Naggar, India (Roerich mansion).
 
From November 2019 to April 2022, 10 solo exhibitions of Lola Lonli's paintings from the early series "Unity of Legends. From Africa to Tibet" were held in cultural centres in Tallinn and other cities in Estonia as part of the project "Canvas of the World. Myths and Legends through the Eyes of Artists" organised by the public organisation "Pedagogy of Culture in Estonia".
From May to December 2021, Lola Lonli held four solo exhibitions - arts festivals at the Jerry Rubin Club in Moscow, including ethnic music and dance, contemporary dance, modern prose and poetry, live painting performances, poetry competitions, workshops. The series of paintings "Where the Sky Walks on the Earth...", "Mothers of the Elements", fluorescent painting "Different Spaces" and "Jazz Portraits", graphics "Heart of Africa" ​​and "America I Love" were exhibited.
In November 2021 in the Republican House of Friendship of Peoples, Vladikavkaz, Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, a presentation of the painting by Lola Lonli "Saint George" took place
In 2022, she began collaborating with the Union of African Diasporas, participated in a number of events, including two exhibitions of African art at MGIMO in 2022 and 2024.
In December 2023, during the Day of the Republic of Bashkortostan at VDNKh, Moscow, a presentation of the painting "Ural-batyr" took place, created based on the Bashkir epic of the same name.