Three questions to Artem Andreichuk
Artem Andreichuk (b. 1983, Ukraine) is an artist who continues to live and work in his homeland.
I visited Artem’s studio on a very cold Friday evening in January. It is located in an old Kyiv building, once specifically dedicated to artists. I was lost, trying to find an entrance, when I heard Artem shouting my name. The warmth of his voice was a stark contrast to the surroundings.
We entered his studio: large windows and high ceilings but no heating. He noticed I felt too cold to appreciate art, so he offered a choice of whiskey or oolong tea. He had a bohemian tea set, so I opted for the tea.
His warmth and joyfulness are visible in his works. They hold enough symbolism to get the viewer intellectually hooked but then soothe with their saturated and dense colours, relieving the anxiety of not knowing the meaning.
Inspired in part by the pop art movement, he retains individuality in how he arranges the composition and plays with the narrative. He is also surprisingly in touch with his time in his subtle symbolism. His works are young, witty and delicious. Bright colours call for your rebellious nature, reminding you that, ultimately, life can (and should) be real fun.
Despite the almost freezing temperature, his studio was one of the warmest places I’ve been to in a while. Such is his mastery of using colours. When finally leaving, I asked why he thinks his works convey this ‘dolce far niente’ feeling.
“When I was a kid” he said, “I used to dream of all these exotic fruits: pineapples, bananas, lemons. Ultimately, I just want to convey how it feels to see them, to hold them in your hand, to have the first bite.”
By Kateryna Serdiuk
What are the main questions that bother you the most at the moment?
Right now, of course, it is the war in Ukraine and all the processes and phenomena related to it. The war has changed me as an artist and as a person, imposing its own rules of the game, which directly affected my painting, creativity and life. Before the war, I was a more upbeat artist, but after 2022, there were a lot of transformations. I began to look at this world and my place in it differently. The war changed the course of my work, my palette and approach to work. Abstraction broke into my work, and later I realized that it was a salvation to keep the balance of life, not to fall into depression and not to go crazy. And more and more I began to study and experiment with this genre, delving into abstract painting as much as possible, achieving harmony between color and form, between the outside world and my inner state.
How do your physical surroundings impact your art?
I had different influences in different periods of my life. For example, when I started studying painting, I had a huge influence from impressionism. But the main influence on my work is my family and close people, friends whom I listen to, and with whom I can consult about a particular painting, listen to criticism. Such communication with close people is extremely important to me. The second main aspect is music. Music inspires and influences me a lot, especially jazz, which I adore, and rock of the second half of the 60s, such bands as the Beatles, Doors, Velvet Underground, Rolling Stones, Kinks, Who, Cream.
What do you fear?
Murphy's Law says that the more you fear something, the more likely it is to happen. On the one hand, it seems to me that there is no point in being afraid of anything, and on the other hand, of course, there are fears and this is normal in principle.
But I think that you shouldn't focus on fears, you should just live and enjoy life, meet interesting people, learn new things, do painting, music, sports, create, travel, and move forward.
Our top selection of Artem’s works
