Artist Dzvinya Podlyashetska discusses motherhood, conflict, and identity.
In her studio in Vienna, Dzvinya Podlyashetska sits down to work. She doesn’t think about what she is going to paint before beginning, she explains, “everything comes naturally from inside”.
Her studio walls are covered with paintings, drawings and sketches. “When I start creating, the subject itself appears on the canvas through the prism of my feelings at a certain moment in my life.”
Podlyashetska left her home in Lviv in early 2022 for what was intended to be a holiday. Only days later did they learn of the Russian invasion, and she came to understand that she would not be returning anytime soon.
November 19th marked 1,000 days since Russia’s invasion – an event which reshaped the lives of the Ukrainian people. These stories are what Lviv-born artist Podlyashetska hopes to amplify with her art.
Since 2016, her work has been featured in exhibitions throughout Europe and North America. Many of her pieces, such as Olenivka – which was featured in AG18 Gallery’s Darkness and Lights show – tap into her emotional responses to the conflict.
Olenivka references both the Ukrainian municipality and the Russian-run prisoner of war camp in which a missile blast killed approximately 62 prisoners and injured a further 130 on July 29, 2022.
Just weeks earlier, Podlyashetska’s son was born a refugee in Austria. Motherhood, she explains, has reshaped her work and life entirely.
“I began to draw depressing pictures much less. I want to depict a magical, fictional world in which there are no limits for my imagination.” Born amidst the tragedy taking place in their home country, Podlyashetska’s art became more aspirational, depicting the world in which she would like her son to grow up.
To her, the role of the artist has taken on further significance in turbulent times. She explains how art has provided a voice for individual suffering and the complex emotions of Ukrainians living in exile.
“People of culture who talk about Ukraine, preserve the memory of everything that the Ukrainian people are going through, and revive what gives people the strength to live in such difficult times, are important.”
Dzvinya Podlyashetska
Following her family’s displacement, she stepped back from her work for extended periods of time. Amidst the conflict, this burden worsened, but as she returned to her work, she found new perspectives and inspirations.
The style and narrative of her pieces are the result of a deliberate process of thought. “I often depict complex subjects in a vivid, naive style. Maybe subconsciously, I try to attract the viewer’s attention with bright colours, and when the viewer comes closer, he can feel a completely different picture – different emotions, both good and bad.”
Podlyashetska feels that her creative process was likely the result of feelings of isolation and difference she experienced in her youth.
She had always felt that the way she experienced and understood the world differed from those around her, and depicting this was the jumping off point for her art. She takes inspiration from her own life and the world she sees around her, specifically in its contrasts and complexities.
As her daily life in Vienna starts to feel like the norm, Podlyashetska remains active in her country’s efforts for freedom. “All this time, my family actively helps Ukraine with money transfers, donations for the purchase of defense equipment” she explains, “[but] also on the cultural front, with our art, we preserve the memory of Ukraine, highlight the events that are happening there and remind people that our country still needs help.”
While Podlyashetska’s family dreams of returning to their homeland, she uses her art to bridge the gap between their harsh realities and the future that they seek.
“I once dreamed of living in Vienna,” she says, “but now I don’t want it anymore. I want to go home.”
Featured image courtesy of Dzvinya Podlyashetska.