B I O G R A P H Y Yury Darashkevich was born in Asipovichi, Belarus in 1962. He attended and graduated from the Belarusian State Academy of the Arts in 1985. Upon graduation, he began a career in the illustration and graphic design field, painting in his spare time. After several successful solo shows in the early 90's, Yury devoted more attention to his fine art, specifically painting. Shortly after making this career change, he and his family moved to Toronto Canada. After being accepted as a full time artist, Yury became an Elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists in 2009. In 2010, he was recognized by the US Government as a “Person with extraordinary abilities in Art” and was granted a Green Card. Yury has received many awards both in the United States and in Canada.