Habitus
Jūlija Verbicka-Vasiļjeva
The exhibition presents a series of photographs by Jūlija Verbicka-Vasiļjeva, unfolding a visual and emotional inquiry into the boundary between appearance and experience, between what is visible and what is lived. Working at the intersection of documentary observation, subtle staging, and directorial control, the artist constructs a finely calibrated photographic narrative that traces how social environment, upbringing, and personal history inscribe themselves over time in posture, gaze, and silence, shaping how we relate to ourselves and others.
At the heart of the series lies an understanding of the human being as a process rather than a fixed state. Each figure bears witness to the layered interplay of circumstance, cultural context, and relationships that shape individual identity. In the artist’s practice, habitus moves beyond its sociological origins to become a lived imprint: experience absorbed into the body, behaviour, and emotional memory. The images extend beyond representation to register presence in time and space – fragile, quiet, and profoundly resonant, though often overlooked.
The exhibition invites a mode of looking grounded in reflection rather than judgement. Free from didacticism or moral labelling, the artist favours empathy as both a way of seeing and a means of understanding. The show draws attention to the entanglement of individual stories with collective experience, urging viewers to consider how we all reflect the world around us.
Jūlija Verbicka-Vasiļjeva is a Daugavpils-based photographer and designer who graduated from Saules Skola Secondary School of Design and Art. Anchored in the lived experiences of empathy and belonging, her practice explores how the self relates to its surroundings. The HABITUS series at the Rothko Museum marks a significant new stage in her artistic development.
Curator of the exhibition: Tatjana Černova
20 February – 24 May 2026
Publicity image: Jūlija Verbicka-Vasiļjeva “Star” (from the Habitus series). Photography, 100 x 70 cm, 2025.
