Interview: Tatiana Gryshchenko
Luca Curci talks with Tatiana Gryshchenko during SECRET SPACES, the second appointment of BORDERS ART FAIR held at Palazzo Albrizzi- Capello.

Tatiana is a Ukrainian contemporary artist born on August 11, 1986, in Mariupol. She graduated from the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts in 2009 and studied icon painting in Moscow. While working as a graphic designer, Tatiana continued to paint, refining her artistic style. Her philosophy revolves around the interconnectedness of everything, with past events shaping our future and chance encounters holding meaning. Using simple geometric shapes, Tatiana’s artworks explore social and philosophical themes, particularly focusing on the history of femininity and self-awareness in the modern world. Her goal is to provoke introspection and contemplation in viewers through her art.

Luca Curci – What is the trigger that leads you to paint?
Tatiana Gryshchenko – It’s such an easy question, but it’s not that easy to answer. In my particular case, it’s better to say that I cannot but paint. It’s a craving, it’s a passion. Both on a spiritual level and a physical one. Are you familiar with the feeling when you want to do something so badly, that your body shakes a little because of that need? Around this condition, I have during the creative process. It’s like an energy that runs through my body using myself as an instrument and finds its material reflection on a canvas. People are full of passion. This is one of mine. 

LC- Which artists have somehow had an influence on your work?
TG – Oleksandr Mykhailovych Zholud is a Ukrainian avant-garde artist, my teacher at the academy. Studying academic painting, I did not feel that it was interesting to me. Oleksandr Mykhailovych opened for me the so-called Designer painting, where students were free in their creativity, and did not just convey volume, realistic forms with paints. It was on these concepts that I felt the freedom and creative thirst that overwhelmed me. Gustav Klimt. I also got acquainted with his work when I was a student. It was another sip, another realization that painting can be different.

Leonardo da Vinci. At one time, I was very interested in his approach to reconstructing objects with mathematical precision. Approach creativity from a scientific point of view. In this, I found the truth for myself, because everything around us (natural and man-made) is based on geometric principles. I understand that I am only at the beginning of my journey, but the awareness and study of shapes and forms is a subject of my fascination. Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi. Perhaps this artist was the seed that sprouted in me. An artist from my hometown – Mariupol. Ukrainian artist known to the whole world. But I got the first impressions not through his work, but through his biography. Even as a child, my mother used to read the story of his life at night, which artistically describes his childhood, the house where he lived, and the meadows where he walked. I listened with delight to the story of this boy and knew well all these corners of the city because it was mine just like his. It was wonderful to walk through my hometown through the biography of Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi and enjoy the scenery through the eyes of this artist. For me, it was a kind of magic of travelling through time and space through creativity. I believe that artists indeed do create such an opportunity.

LC – What are the three hashtags essential to define your poetics that you could not give up?
TG – #geometry, #self-awareness, #body_language

LC – Where do you find your inspiration?
TG – Surrounding people, painful social issues, and nature have always been an inexhaustible source of inspiration. All this is an inspiration for me as well. One day I thought about how our body broadcasts all this. Non-verbal language. How to convey inner discomfort through a pose, or, on the contrary, lightness, spirituality, and harmony. Participation in the exhibition called Borders was quite symbolic for me because with my work I directly touch on the issue of “fitting into the framework”. Social, cultural. What importance the opinion of others has for us today and how faithfully we rely on feedback, even if it causes us quite a bit of discomfort. Today’s sources of inspiration, as you understand, are more than enough. The topic is painful.

LC – What is the most challenging part about creating your artworks?
TG – I cannot call it the most difficult, but rather the most exciting and not always fast process. I’m talking about finding images, finding poses for “my girls”. It is very interesting to twist bodies into some unusual shapes, often impossible to reproduce in life, to convey a mood or state through these poses. I have my own method of finding these forms and I even wonder how many images I can find, and feel in this way. This can be called my own challenge.

LC – We were attracted by your last artistic production, has the artwork presented been created for the exhibition or as a part of preexisting works?
TG – This is one work in a series on cultural frameworks. Perhaps it attracted attention because it was on an African theme, which was not the case in my work before. Currently, the series is not completed due to the war in Ukraine, where there are other works that I have just started working on. I’m not sure I’ll finish the series. The mood and events left their mark. Time will show.

LC – Do you agree with our vision of art and what do you think about the theme of the exhibition?
TG – In my artwork, I often touch on the topic of social and cultural frameworks dictated by public opinion. That is why the concept of “borders” between social and personal, between natural and imposed is extremely relevant to my creativity.

LC – Would you suggest a collaboration with us? What do you think about our services?
TG – Yes. As a first-time participant with ITSLIQUID GROUP I was delighted with the opportunities they provide. ITSLIQUID has a fantastic team – enthusiastic, proactive, and creative. They are always available to support and offer variants that will work best. My special thanks to Maria Teresa Cafareli! In Addition, the combination of exhibited artworks was just incredible.

LC – What is your idea about ITSLIQUID GROUP?
TG – The ITSLIQUID Platform is a great platform for emerging artists to showcase their talent to a wider audience and get an opportunity to be connected to various artistic institutions. Besides that, they provide a wonderful experience for the visitors of the exhibition by providing a diverse range of great artists and artworks.