Questions about the nature of image making, about what governs inclusion and exclusion, rules and taboos, and sexuality are core themes driving her practice.Yana has used material processes and the princi- ples of the palimpsest to create pieces rooted in the distinctive acts of erasing, hiding and layering that define most archeological finds.
She creates works which physical transformation she hoped could contain both past and present, functioning not as record but rather as testaments to the pos- sibilities of time. Indeed, one of the most surprising aspect of Yana’s work is how little she can foresee the visual outcome of her experiments.
She is guided not so much by an idea of an image but rather by her physical encounter with the laws of chance. As their layered process and aesthetic result remind us of ancient artifacts as well as rock art, this alchemy often results in the works having contemplative and almost sacred tones.
