Your works seem to be the visual manifestation of inner anxieties in the form of strange characters, a kind of visual concretisation of certain disturbances. Is your gaze more external, focusing on human turmoil, or more internal, directed towards your own subconscious?

As long as I can remember, I have always struggled with anxiety. Right now, I spend a lot of time alone with myself. My canvases have become a battleground where I confront my feelings. More often than not, this state leads me to cover the entire canvas and start over. That’s why I’ve created a ritual to help me get into the right mindset while working; I no longer paint when I’m feeling anxious. The series of works titled “Subject” features images reminiscent of mummies wrapped in fabric. This fabric obscures their forms, making them invisible-just as we cannot see the feelings and emotions trapped inside. Only small details can hint at what lies within. There may be emptiness or a storm inside, but neither you nor I will ever truly know. Similarly, the series titled “Masks” does not reveal the veil of mystery. I want to allow the viewer to use their imagination to envision what is hidden beneath this fabric and the layers of paint. Like a character who does not reveal their true form, or an unwrapped gift that tempts with its shiny packaging, seducing only with its silhouette. My works are the complete opposite of concretisation; they focus more on the visible and the invisible. Today’s isolation directs my gaze primarily inward, to my subconscious. However, I don’t want to cut myself off from external factors; I am open to them and very glad to have them in my life.

Your artistic identity is highly multifaceted: drawing, sketchbooks, tattoos, fashion… On your Instagram profile, it’s possible to see a clear separation of these expressions. This thematic division, possibly born out of practical necessity, does it also exist from a stylistic and artistic perspective? Are these separate parts of your personality, or is everything connected?

Creativity is born from something small. In my case, it has always been sketchbooks. They have been a place where all these branches were stored. I never liked the “tattoo flash” format in tattooing; I always gave my clients my sketchbooks to choose a design from. It was amazing because sometimes they chose sketches of paintings or draft prints that I wanted to use for clothing. Many people noted that they had never encountered such formats before. Thus, all these branches intertwined, forming their own universe. My mom and aunt started selling the first fashion clothing in Ukraine, so after kindergarten, my dad would take me to their store, where I spent a lot of time. I was literally surrounded by mannequins and clothes, which definitely influenced my attitude towards fashion. At 16, I learned what screen printing was, and that same year I printed my first t-shirts. While skipping school that same year, I worked in my first studio. A friend of mine, who knew that I painted and was aware of my sketchbooks, called me and said he wanted to come and get a tattoo from me. He brought all the equipment and showed me how everything worked. After that, he came back, and we did more tattoos. He showed off these tattoos and brought me my first clients. Later, I went to a skate spot and tattooed right there using the handpoke technique. This is how I realised I could earn my first money, which I used to buy paints and canvases. In this way, I created a whole system that allowed me to continue pursuing art.