Ellaya Yefymova (b. 1990, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine) is a contemporary artist based in Lisbon, whose work explores the themes of mortality, resilience, and the conscious experience of life.
After fleeing the war in Ukraine in 2022 and overcoming clinical depression, she began developing her ongoing series Memento Vivere — a contemporary reinterpretation of the Memento Mori tradition, aimed not at glorifying death, but at inspiring purposeful, conscious living. Ellaya’s art is deeply influenced by vanitas and existentialism.
She was nominated for the Portal Art Prize (Ukraine, 2020) and the Art Gemini Prize (UK, 2021), and participated in the London Art Biennale in 2023. Her work has been exhibited in Ukraine, Portugal, Mexico, Germany and the United Kingdom, including multiple charity exhibitions in support of Ukraine.
