EDEN Collectors Series: Yann & Lana Biojau

Inside the Biojau residence, art feels alive. The air is filled with color, light, and laughter. Each corner tells a story of passion and playfulness. For Yann and Lana, collecting is not a hobby but a lifestyle—an ongoing dialogue between love, beauty, and identity.

“Art, I think, is defined by someone who had an idea — a crazy idea — and made it in such limited samples that it’s so difficult.” — Yann

Lana: I’m originally from Ukraine. I came to Dubai over a decade ago after university with no plan and no job, just a suitcase and some optimism. At my first job, I met Yann.

Yann: I’m French. I moved to Dubai in 2005 to work in hospitality, back when there was mostly sand and cranes everywhere. It was a city in the making, full of opportunity. We both built our lives here from the ground up.

EDEN: What made you laugh recently?

Lana: We were traveling separately, sending each other videos of our two office guinea pigs running around. They’re tiny, ridiculous, and always make us laugh.

EDEN: Why collect art?

Yann: We’re not art experts, and we don’t pretend to be. If you put a Picasso in front of me, I might not understand it, but that’s fine. Art should make you feel something. You should smile every day when you walk past it.

Lana: We collect many things, but art lives with you. It fills your space and shapes your home.

EDEN: What was your first piece?

Lana: An Alec Monopoly. We discovered EDEN Gallery in Dubai Mall shortly after it opened and were instantly drawn to this Dubai-themed painting.

Yann: The artwork featured a Mercedes G-Class, and there’s a story about Sheikh Mohammed helping bring that model to the UAE. It resonated with us. I had just gifted Lana a white G-Class, so we asked Alec to personalize the work with her plate number. When he agreed, we knew we had to have it. That moment began our journey as collectors.

EDEN: Has it become addictive?

Lana: A little. I used to say art is like choosing a great bag or watch—but it brings much deeper joy.

Yann: For me it's an instant attraction. I can walk into a room full of objects, and one will hit me right away. That’s how I fall for cars, art, or even people. (That’s how I fell for Lana too.)

EDEN: Tell us about the mural Alec created for your garage.

Yann: When Alec came to paint Lana’s plate number, I looked around at the blank garage walls and thought, “What a missed opportunity.” I asked him to create a mural that told our story—Burj Al Arab, the Palm, Burj Khalifa—each a milestone in our life here. Paintings didn’t feel right for the garage, but a mural did. It turned an everyday space into something extraordinary.

EDEN: Do you prefer unique works or editions?

Yann: One-of-ones, always. Editions are fine, but we collect for love, not resale.

Lana: Our first Alec will never leave us. It’s part of our story.

EDEN: Which artworks from your collection stand out to you now?

Yann: We’ve become big admirers of Gal Yosef. We have Nike 1 and Nike 2, both unique pieces created especially for us, as well as Pink Business, Timeless Elegance, and Trustfund Kid. His color, light, and reflections are incredible.

Lana: Our first original Gal Yosef painting, Money Honey, sits in our living room. From afar you see Bugs Bunny, but up close you notice every Hermès detail—the textures, the tiny hidden Hs. It’s playful and luxurious at the same time. We also have Shopgirl, Money Moves, Crypto War, Chasing Cheddar, Golden Game of Tunes, and Plumber’s Luxe Legacy. Each one has its own personality.

Yann: Beyond Gal, we have Alec Monopoly’s $ Team Desert Stop Dubai and $ Team Posing with Wall Street Bull, which capture his humor and connection to luxury culture. We also love David Kracov’s Thinking Outside the Box – Manga, Angelo Accardi’s Looking Down, Veronique Guerrieri’s Astronaut Running on Ball, and Joseph’s Pochoir Gold When We Talk Money. Every piece speaks to a different part of who we are.

EDEN: How do you define home?

Lana: Home is family, safety, and the place where you can be entirely yourself.

Yann: It’s our place of peace.

EDEN: What has art brought into your life?

Lana: A sense of freedom and joy. Collecting marks a stage in life where you can surround yourself with things that exist purely for pleasure.

Yann: It’s about attraction, emotion, and sharing what we love. When friends visit, the art sparks laughter and conversation. It makes people feel at ease—that’s what we want our home to do.

Here are some of the artworks they love living with

Veronique Guerrieri, Astronaut Run on Ball, Sculpture

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Joseph, Pochoir Gold When We Talk Money, Mixed Media

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