From making glasses to falling into anguish and discovering a way out with art

Life story of emerging visual artist Fabiana Yustman. She is 57 years old, is a mother of three children and lives in Villa Crespo. She worked as an optical technician and contact specialist. 12 years ago, after an emotional crisis, he regained his balance through the plastic arts. Currently, he is presenting the exhibition “Hacia la luz”, at the Aromi bar, in the Amijai community, at 2355 Arribeños street, CABA.

Fabiana Yustman had a well-established family, three children who loved her and a diploma in optical and contact technology technician hanging in the living room, but her emotional well-being was not the most adequate.

Until one day, walking through the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo, he stopped in front of the window of a painting workshop, entered, made inquiries and registered. Within a few weeks, the new student’s mood had regained balance, both physically and mentally.

«They say that art heals. And for me, painting is a way of meditating. It is entering a state where time stops, where the outside world turns off and only I am left, with my colors and my emotions. My mind imagines a work, but my hands paint another. They paint what my soul and my feelings have to say in that moment. In each canvas I find a reflection of what I am and each work is a way of returning to me. By the way, art healed my anguish and acted as therapy”says the emerging visual artist twelve years later.

With this reflection, Fabiana Yustman does nothing more than endorse research from the World Health Organization (WHO), in which they point out that ““art improves self-esteem, reduces anxiety and depression, and promotes individual and social well-being.”

These weeks, the talented artist is presenting her individual exhibition “Hacia la luz”, at the Aromi bar, in the Amijai community, at 2355 Arribeños street (heart of Chinatown), CABA.

The attractive exhibition, curated by Darío Zilbersztein, consists of 14 works. They are all inspired by the massacre of October 7, 2023 perpetrated by the terrorist group Hamas against residents of different nationalities and faiths who live in the state of Israel, and in which more than 1,200 women, children and men were murdered, in addition to more than 100 who were taken hostage.

“That date touched me deeply with a mixture of feelings, which were finally translated into all these works”Fabiana emphasizes, commenting that “Towards the Light” will remain on display until September 12.

Although she feels that she now has her emotional and social space, where she moves comfortably and where she can be herself, Yustman never thought about dedicating herself to art.

When he was 10 years old, he and his family emigrated to Israel looking for a better future. After five years, when he had already established himself and had a deep connection with his environment, he had to return to the country. This uprooting had an unfavorable impact, causing him a lot of pain.

After graduating from high school, after taking a vocational test and listening to her father, Fabiana enrolled in a university degree in optics and contactology, but without much conviction.

Time when she got married to her current husband, Marcelo. “I suggested we go on a trip to Europe. But I had no echo”she recalls, commenting that, to mitigate that refusal, she went alone to Israel to reunite with her affections and dream of a future in that place.

After two months, Yustman decided to pack his bags and return to Argentina. Together with Marcelo, they began selling pullovers in established stores in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Once.

Some time later, the couple opened their own establishment, which lasted seven years. During that period, they married and had three children. To dedicate herself to raising her heirs, Fabiana became a housewife. «Every seven years I would rethink what to do in life. Something that distressed me and made me cry»Fabiana recalls, pointing out that everything changed when art appeared on her path.

First, he devoted himself fully to photography, after training at the Motivarte school. Over time he turned towards painting. Without abandoning his brushes, he also became interested in glass art. Guided by teacher Carlos Herzberg, she learned glass fusion and glass paste techniques, creating sculptural pieces from recycled materials. “With the outbreak of the pandemic, I paused working with glass”acknowledges the artist.

In search of a technique to help her find her style, Fabiana met Paula Rivero, a multifaceted artist and outstanding mentor in the creative field. «Paula guided my path. I went for the abstract. I began to place textures in my works, so that they have life, depth and transform them into a rich and vibrant visual experience»concludes the visual artist Fabiana Yustman, highlighting that she has participated in a dozen fairs and group exhibitions, both in the country and in the United States.

To learn more about the visual artist, check out her Instagram: @fabyyustman or visit her official website: www.fabyyustman.com