Simchowitz Gallery is presenting "Two of Us," a dual exhibition featuring Ukrainian artists Andrey Samarin and Lera Derkach at Hill House in Pasadena. The show explores the creative dialogue between the two artists, who have lived and worked together in France for the past three years while maintaining distinct individual practices. Samarin’s work focuses on the physical gesture of painting, blending abstraction and figuration influenced by German Expressionism and medieval art, while Derkach’s canvases lean into dreamlike narratives, metamorphosis, and psychological tension.
This exhibition highlights the nuance of artistic proximity, demonstrating how shared environments can influence creative output without resulting in a formal collaboration. By showcasing Samarin’s visceral, body-led compositions alongside Derkach’s story-driven, metamorphic paintings, the show provides a case study in how contemporary Ukrainian artists are evolving their visual languages while in diaspora. It also reinforces Simchowitz’s role in bringing international emerging talent to the Los Angeles art scene through unconventional domestic-scale venues like Hill House.