UPOTY 2026 CURATOR
Josephine Florens
🇸🇪Västerås
Independent Visual Artist, Writer
Professional biography
Josephine Florens is an award-winning contemporary visual artist and writer based in Västerås, Sweden. Born in Odesa, Ukraine, in 1988, she combines classical visual traditions with a contemporary sensitivity to memory, identity, vulnerability and resilience. Working primarily in oils, she describes her aesthetic as modern vintage. Her practice is distinguished by refined tonal harmonies, restrained symbolism and emotional depth.
Alongside her artistic practice, Florens contributes to the international art community through judging, editorial work and institutional service. She has served as a juror for apexart’s New York City Open Call and international competitions organised by Curatone.art, evaluating work across countries and disciplines. She serves on the Annual Conference Committee of the College Art Association (CAA), USA, for the 2026–2029 term. She is also a member of the Editorial Board of Curatone Art & Research Journal.
In 2026, Florens received First Place Overall at Light Space & Time’s 15th Annual All Women Art Exhibition, which attracted 574 entries from 25 countries. Her work has been selected for Ars Electronica’s State of the ART(ist) international initiative in Austria and exhibited at the Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art in Ukraine.
Her work has appeared in international publications, including the cover of Temperature, a scientific journal published by Taylor & Francis. Her practice has been reviewed by Renée Phillips, Director of Manhattan Arts International in New York, and Chih-Yang Chen, Art Director of Blackdot Gallery.