Yuri Leiderman was born in 1963 in Odesa.
He is one of the most famous contemporary Odesa artists in the world.
After finishing school, he participated in unofficial art exhibitions in Odesa and Moscow, where he lived for about ten years. Member of the group of Odesa conceptualists. Author or co-author of well-known actions and performances. He was one of the founders of the artistic group “Inspection. Medical hermeneutics”. Also he is an oft-times participant of world art biennials. Yuri Leiderman’s works are presented in the largest museums of the world and occupy an important place in the history of modern world art.

Since the beginning of the new millennium, he has been working on the film project “Birmingham Ornament”, some films of the project have won awards at prestigious film festivals. In recent times he has turned to painting, close to expressionism. Lives in Berlin.

Leiderman’s video “Hasidic Duchamp” begins with shots of a forest glade. In the background there are several trees. In the foreground, to the right is a big one. Suddenly, a person dressed in a bear costume appears from behind this tree. We hear a rhythmic and joyful Jewish song. While dancing, the bear alternately throws out its right or left leg, leans in different directions and runs a few steps forward or backward. In his hands, or rather in his paws, he holds two books dedicated to the famous artist Marcel Duchamp, who created the works of art in the twentieth century, which are considered to be the beginning of modern world art. It is these works that are depicted on the pages of these books. After dancing for a little more than a minute, the bear retreats behind a tree.

This work is a symbolic meeting of symbols of various cultural elements of Leiderman’s personality. The first element is the Jewish origin represented by the melody. The second element is a bear costume, symbolizing the artist’s life in Moscow. And the third element is modern art, which is symbolized by the books about Marcel Duchamp.

This work is a conversation about personality development, where every element is important. It is a reminder that life is a constant dialogue between what we know and what remains hidden. The more diverse its fragments are, the more complex it is, despite its external simplicity, and it requires careful study and understanding. Art is the best mediator in the knowledge of personality.