Interview published in Pressing Matters Magazine, 2017, issue 02

What attracted you to your current workspace?

I moved into my new studio a few months ago. It’s ten minutes’ walk from my house, in the centre of Kiev. The large, bright space is divided into three rooms: an office for work, a printing workshop and an exhibition area. Everything in its right place. I love order…

It’s become a home from home. I spend most of my time here, with my thoughts and objects around me. I’m not hiding from people – I’ve just got used to having my own space and I feel comfortable spending time in my own company and working alone.

– Does your workspace influence your work?

For sure! My studio is my “place of power”. It’s my creative fortress, my monastery, my office and my meditation mat. It’s rarely disturbed by visitors, just my tools, paint papers, the strange knick-knacks that make a place feel like home. It’s where my ideas live – though of course they’re born elsewhere, they come to me in all kinds of places. Mostly when walking around the city. But they’re made real by the process of work. I often work with objects, printing still life compositions. Most of the items from my artworks live in my studio.

Some of them are there to work – my tools, my press – others are just strange and random things … I think other artists understand what I mean. I’m talking about all those things we can’t bring ourselves to throw away, which live in all workshops – old, a little broken, not functional, but memorable, funny, necessary. I think they often inspire my artwork, creating an atmosphere that’s naturally conducive to creativity.