Interview: Oksana Pomazan & Daria Tischenko-Zhuravel
Luca Curci talks with Oksana Pomazan & Daria Tischenko-Zhuravel during the 15th Edition of VENICE INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR 2022, at Palazzo Bembo.

The project [Chiaroscuro] was started before February 24th 2022 in Kiev. After the war began, the photographer Daria Tishchenko-Zhuravel left to Canada, Oksana Pomazan, the model, to Austria. Oksana Pomazan, mastermind and model of CHIAROSCURO photo project, brand face of Ukrainian silk scarves LENNARE, a journalist writing about fashion for Ukrainian magazines, fashion expert for about 10 years, image designer, fashion stylist, mastermind of creative photo projects for gloss, storyteller. Daria Tishchenko-Zhuravel is a professional Ukrainian art-photographer, who creates stylish and sophisticated photo projects and fashion portraits turning them into real art works. Daria is master in transmitting the inner world, human emotions and energy through the prism of the camera lens. Images live another life in her photo; acquire new forms and expressions, sometimes hidden under the surfaces of usual habits and masks. Behind each mask people wear, there’s deeply personal story and particular individuality that Daria manages to open up through their expressions, demeanor and movements and to underline them in her works.

Luca Curci – What is your background? What experiences have influenced your work the most?
Oksana Pomazan & Daria Tischenko-Zhuravel – Our Chiaroscuro project is a creative union, a collaboration between a photographer and his model. This is not the first joint photo project. But it was in Chiaroscuro that the idea was to sensually reveal the beauty of a woman in any scenario. . This project is a philosophy in photography. Each photo shoot is a fictional story from real and fictional life. This is a touch to display experiences, sometimes drama, sometimes just feelings. This project is about the female body, about the female essence. Photographer Daria Tishchenko-Zhuravel is a professional photographer. She has been shooting in the studio for many years, shooting reports for glossy magazines, and participating in interesting projects jointly with artists. Her amazing quality on the set always has a special feeling through the photo lens of the female and male body, bold experiments with light, draperies, with locations. Model Oksana Pomazan, a former architect, devoted herself to gallery work in contemporary art for many years, then became a journalist, presenting fashion articles to the reader, mainly from enchanting MFW shows, and at the same time devoted herself to photography. Perhaps this influenced the essence of the projects themselves. Shows, presentations, and interesting meetings at fashion weeks in Milan exploded their creative approach to photography. I wanted to show a woman, bold, free and sexy. I wanted to turn photography into a theatre.

LC – How did you come to your current artistic practice?
OP&DTZ – Probably we can say that for both, Daria and Oksana, photography is a passion. The path to it was the path of a lifetime. Through the search for oneself, through the search for something new in art, not being afraid of experiments. In Ukraine, Chiaroscuro has many fans who love incredible locations, skyscraper roofs or the backstage of a theatre, inventing new lighting solutions for filming, literally presenting the viewer with games with light and shadow, with different textures, and draperies.

LC – What role does the artist play in society? What about contemporary art?
OP&DTZ – Each artist carries a mission to our world. To beautify the world with your inner beauty, because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Especially now, the most relevant for us, Ukrainians, is our creativity. We want to show the world that there is not only war in Ukraine, there are many talented people in Ukraine, professional artists, photographers, actors, and designers, and right now this mission is most important.

LC – Do your works focus on a specific theme?
OP&DTZ – Our joint photos are always experiments. We invite interesting fashion designers, cameramen, and make-up artists for each shoot. We change locations, and light, sometimes we come up with accessories for shooting from paper, metal, and fabric. But in the beginning, it is always an idea. Being a writing journalist, Oksana comes up with a story and an idea, it is always something completely new. Then technical issues are resolved with Daria. After filming, all post-production is done by Daria. In our creative union, a woman stands on a pedestal, revealing her essence.

LC – What artistic themes are you pursuing? What is your favorite subject, if any?
OP&DTZ – We work in different genres of photography. Portrait, body art, nude, street shooting, studio, augmented reality.

LC – Do you agree with our vision of art and what do you think about the theme of the exhibition?
OP&DTZ – In general, the relationship between the body and the world, the main theme of the exhibition in Venice, resonates very well with our concept. Of course, the world that surrounds us is created by our vision of society. The fragility of the female body is an unconditional message to the whole world. This is the philosophy of a woman’s destiny.

LC – What do you think about the concept of this exhibition? How did it inspire you?
OP&DTZ – The concept of the exhibition became a reflection of our project.

LC – What do you think about ITSLIQUID GROUP?
OP&DTZ – Professionals in their field, solving all issues. In addition to the business part, we received so much kindness and attention, as well as an appreciation of our projects!

LC – Did you enjoy working with us?
OP&DTZ – Yes, I liked it very much. I look forward to future joint projects.

LC – What do you think about the organization of our event?
OP&DTZ – Organization at a decent level. Meeting guests, placing works, attention to each participant.