Olga Karika (Matiushko)

Yes, the pandemic has affected my artistic practice. During the first wave, it seemed that the world had stopped, I was far from my studio and could not work in it.

After that, the feeling of lack of freedom of movement is very pressing. My main source of inspiration is the early renaissance, I really enjoyed visiting European museums.

I would like to talk about the complex internal processes during isolation from the cultural heritage of other countries. I want to see and feel the exchange of cultures, but my movement is limited between countries.

I feel total lack of freedom and anger since I personally cannot do anything about it. Just wait and get used to new realities.

“Nothing comes from nothing. We are all connected in the linear movement of time and absorb the maximum from the environment. We are often a product of our realities, time, and social circle. We are sensitive to changes and cannot be isolated from the surrounding reality”.

In my series “Medusa”, I’m reflecting on a number of socially not accepted emotions that are better off hidden behind masks of the general prosperity. I see this action as turning our mental states into frozen sticky consistencies that penetrate into all aspects of human life, like a jellyfish tentacle. We are forced to hide anger, aggression, despair in order to more easily cope with the surrounding people and circumstances