Posted as part of – Publication for Donation initiative.
We thank the artist for helping and supporting animals!
In recent years, I have been actively engaged in studying a person through a portrait, which leaves an imprint on the face of life experience, tragedies, successes, and compassion. For me, each new portrait is another step towards the true self and true freedom.
Born: Mykolaiv, Ukraine
Now: Nederland
@art_zym.nik
INTERVIEW
Why did you decide to take part in the initiative and apply? What does it mean to you to help animals?
The question of what you are doing here and now. So that your life has meaning, sooner or later comes before each of us. What characterizes a successful society? – High level of trust. Dignity and solidarity give us the ability to organize.
Helping animals is another example of showing our humanity because it is a saved life, especially for those who cannot protect themselves. We must value other life. This is how freedom manifests itself.
Tell when did you become interested in art? And was it difficult to return after a break of almost 20 years?
Art, for me, is an invisible thread of talent that strongly connects me with ancestral ties to creative ancestors. Having completed art school education, I decided to go into business, despite the first recognition: My works were bought by “Gradobank” in Mykolaiv (Ukraine) for their collection of novice artists.
This not closed gestalt fired later. The next life circumstances gave an opportunity to look at life from a different angle, to return more actively to your favorite business, unleashing your creative energy through splashing on paper. Now I understand my experience became the foundation for building my creative home. At home, where you know what you have to do, and you do it without a shadow of a doubt.
You began to rebuild your path with oil and seascapes, but now you are actively painting portraits. What inspires you?
A portrait does not have a plot in it, but one can read the life lived by a person, an idea of his character. Even the most detailed story will not tell everything. You have to imagine yourself, imagine, and reincarnate. The portrait does not have enough likeness (the camera will do it more accurately).
You read the message from the face, returning your reading through the portrait. You enter into a dialogue that enriches both parties.
Nothing compares to the feeling of immersion in a new image. The flow of impressions is endless, as many images as there are people. It drags after finishing one, waiting to meet a new hero.
Tell us more about your research on mirror neurons and neuroaesthetics – this is a very unusual approach! How does it combine with art?
The research is based on the concept of mirror neurons (MI) – unique cells of the human brain that mirror the behavior of others, which allows the observer to feel what is happening. The opening of the DN provides an opportunity to improve understanding between people.
Today, thanks to neuroaesthetics, we learn how the brain perceives works of art, and how paintings can influence the viewer. Society moves to a new level when having joined a group. Everyone remains the center of a common network. The mind speaks to us with a voice, and the soul speaks to us through the emotions that appear on the face. The magic of the face shows how spirit rules over matter.
For me, a smile is an indicator of sincerity, the openness of a person. It helps establish a dialogue with the viewer, turning negative energy into positive.
Now you live in the Netherlands, tell us about your life experience as an artist. What kind of symbiosis happened after the move? How did the local culture, museums, and architecture influence you as an artist?
Crises always provide an opportunity for rethinking and transformation. When I was in the Netherlands, I realized how the war “stitches” Ukraine between strangers, and despite the distance, solidarity and trust appear. These people became our support in a foreign land. I saw that human always wins, and it became important for me to show these people their spiritual beauty. This was the beginning of the creation of the “Face” project.
I am inspired by the ability of the Dutch to uniquely combine the new with the old, the present with the past. I would compare my new experience in the Netherlands to the style of pointillism (paintings are painted with specks of different colors). We are all as unique as these specks.
If we learn to step back and see the whole picture, we can respect people who are different from us. We can communicate to achieve unity.
What would you advise aspiring artists?
The function of art is to help a person evaluate himself and his emotional world from the outside. It provides a mirror. Through the mirror, we can assess ourselves and our emotional world from the outside.
People who can enter their world at great depth get to say something to another about their own world. Expand your consciousness by listening to yourself. Keep your uniqueness, your perfection, and your personality. Because happy is the one who has found his way and follows it without cursing.