I am a sculptor. Ukrainian. From Kyiv. Since the full-scale invasion of Russia into my country, I have been living in London. Emigrating has become my second life.
My sculpture "Swallow Flight" embodies my thoughts about the concept of "Here and Now." Even before the war, which suddenly deprived me of my present, future, and past, I never shared the universal fear of the future. The girl's head in an arabesque position gazes into the future. One of her legs represents the past, the other the present, and her hands reach out towards the horizon, symbolizing the line between the past and the future. This sculpture, when viewed from below, resembles a crucifix, signifying our eternal present. It conveys the exhaustion of the old world and the necessity of rebirth and transformation. The future is already at our doorstep.
Art is one of the few areas of human activity in which work is directly related to understanding the world. In our time, this is very important, as work absorbs you completely, while existential questions of life require the same dedication. Making art is always an attempt to expand the time horizon and to challenge time.
In the late 1990s, I started working with paper sculpture because I didn't have the resources to buy materials, tools, or rent a workshop. All I could afford at the time was a table, a sheet of paper, a knife, and glue, which was the minimum I needed to start. Even as I progressed to working with bronze and steel on large-scale projects in public spaces, I continued to begin with paper models.
I always have multiple projects at various stages of completion. Implementing them depends on external factors as well as my mood and capabilities at the time. As a result, I am simultaneously dealing with different phases - some projects are in the sketch stage, while others are in progress, and some are being prepared for display at an exhibition or installation in a public space. This cycle of creation and exhibition is ongoing.
My technique is based on the interaction of planes and space. It does not come from 3D computer technology, as many perceive it now. I do not use a computer; tactile experience is important to me. Essentially, my sculpture is volumetric graphics. I saw the layering in graphics in space and created volume from this layering. This is how my sculpture began.
At a certain point, art becomes a way of thinking. And this thought process cannot be stopped. Every day, ideas and projects are born in my head, and they demand their embodiment.
There is no progress in art. I equally value the art of the past, the art of my contemporaries, and what the youth are doing in art. While I am willing to share my knowledge and experience, I do not believe that I can teach the youth anything. Clarity and a fresh perspective are more valuable than any amount of experience.
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