Yuri Kadamov
Art Against Death
Every day, Yuri Kadamov wakes up in the same small cell in solitary confinement. Every day he makes at least one work of art, if not two. He has produced more than 4,000 pieces.
It has been 22 years of isolation. He is confined within a 7x10-foot prison cell with a bunk and toilet, where the only window, frosted over, obscures direct views of even the sunrise and sunset.
The scarcity of supplies influences Yuri's work, favoring graphite and colored pencils for their accessibility, and acrylics over oil-based paints due to restrictions.
Seeing his work in a series of scales - 7 notes - a bright, moving tapestry of jazz music reflected on paper. Yuri, keeping time like a metronome in his small space, considering what it means to be alive. Each artwork channels the highs and lows of Yuri's existence, reflecting the unspoken truth of his inner world.
About Yuri
Yuri Kadamov is a Lithuanian citizen of Russian descent, who is currently imprisoned on federal death row in Terre Haute, Indiana under the name Jurijus Kadamovas. Yuri has been in solitary confinement since March 2003.
Yuri is a talented musician, but since his conviction and death sentence, he has turned his artistic talent to drawing and painting. Yuri is a dedicated, hard-working artist. He has created more than 4,000 works on canvas and paper.
Yuri implores you to sign his petition calling for an end to the unconstitutional, inhumane practice of solitary confinement on Federal Death Row.
20 December 2009
12 February 2011
15 October 2020
You can support Yuri's art through his profile at Fine Art America.