Ukrainian artist Olesya Hudyma: The Mission Of An Artist Is To Influence Society

Olesya Hudyma is a Ukrainian artist specializing in the impasto technique. Her works have been showcased in 39 exhibitions worldwide, 23 of which were solo shows. She believes that art should not be confined by technical rules – it must be free. Through her paintings, she promotes Ukrainian culture, as the imagery in her works is always intertwined with the history of Ukraine. One of her paintings, "The Bride", was featured on a postage stamp by Ukrposhta. After the russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014, she created a series of paintings titled "Angels of Peace", dedicated to Ukraine. Since then, Ukrainian themes have become the central focus of her art. In this interview, Olesya shares insights with Drive Music Media about her artistic journey, exhibitions around the world, and upcoming projects.

Interviewer: How and when did you decide to become an artist? What were your first steps in this field?

Olesya: I have been painting since a very young age. I can say with certainty that I was born to be an artist because painting has become my basic need, my occupation, my connection with the world, and my desire to constantly discover new things. It allows me to evolve beyond technical rules and remain outside the system. When inspiration strikes and that incredible creative energy flows, I feel truly alive and incredibly happy.

I was 28 years old and working as a journalist (I graduated from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv). I wrote about culture and artists, and as I became more immersed in their world, it dawned on me that I was just like them.

I then created a collection of paintings called "Dreams" in an intuitive art style and founded an art group of the same name. Together with my husband and his brother, I opened an art salon and shop, "Chas Maluvaty" (ed.  –Time to Paint). I also frequently curated exhibitions.

Back then, I was painting a lot and learning how to work in different artistic directions, such as expressionism, abstract art, symbolism, naive art, magical realism, and postmodernism.

The sense of color and the awareness that the painting is complete, so I should step away from the canvas at the right time, were very important to me. I was also interested in the technical side, namely impasto – how to apply a thick layer of oil paint in such a way that would astound professional artists, and so that the painting itself would hold a mystery of its creation.

That’s how a series of paintings was born: Shum (ed. – Noise), which was a reproduction of embroidery ornaments using oil paint, with the effect of thousands of tiny threads on the canvas; Kvity (ed. – Flowers), abstract paintings with a texture that invites you to touch it, with shapes resembling flowers and landscapes.

Ukrainian Madonna – depictions of different stages of life and states of a Ukrainian woman, created using the impasto technique. This series includes not only youth, motherhood (during the war), the time of falling in love, and marriage, but also her presence at Christian holidays (Easter, Christmas) and folk customs. The paintings abstractly depict traditional Ukrainian jewelry: amulets, crosses, zgarda, earrings, syliankas, dukats, and necklaces, which were passed down from generation to generation as an inheritance, a valuable relic, and a great treasure.

Since 2014, Ukrainian themes have become the main focus of my paintings. I created a series of paintings, "Angels of Peace for Ukraine", as well as paintings based on poems by famous Ukrainian poets. (In particular, the painting "Stoyala Ya i sluhala vesnu" (ed. – And There I Stood and Listened to the Spring) is featured in the Ukrainian literature textbook for the 10th grade.) I also painted portraits of famous Ukrainians, including Anna of Kyiv, Princess Olha, and Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky. The last one is now in the church-museum of Metropolitan Sheptytsky in Prylbychi village.

Since 2009, I have taken part in 39 exhibitions, 23 of which were my own, and most of them took place outside of Ukraine.

Interviewer: Tell us about the appearance of the characters in your paintings. In each of your paintings, people have some common features that make your paintings recognizable and unique.

Olesya: I like to invent disproportionate fairy-tale characters that are interesting and unusual, like aliens from another spiritual realm. I also like to depict women with the faces of saints, as in sacred art – restrained in prayer. The characters are really similar because they share the same author.

Interviewer: Your paintings have been exhibited in many countries. Which of these exhibitions is of the most importance to you and why?

Olesya: In 2021, I held an exhibition of my artworks, "Moya velyka lubov" (ed. – My Great Love), at the Euro-Art Gallery of European Art in the city of Rivne. This was the result of 16 years of work. In 2024, there was an exhibition of my artworks, "Angeli senza frontiere", curated by G. Vezzosi and art critic M. Bo, at the San Francesco Gallery in Reggio nell’Emilia, Italy. This exhibition marked a transition to European art activities and provided an opportunity to present Ukrainian culture to the Italian audience.

On 19 December 2024, the painting "Christmas Mood" became the visual backdrop on the screens of the UN Headquarters during a thematic reception organized by the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN for delegations of Member States and representatives of the UN Secretariat.

Interviewer: One of your works, namely "The Bride", was used by the Ukrainian Post in the form of a stamp. Tell us about this experience. How did you feel when you found out about it?

Olesya: I felt indescribable joy. Everything happened so unexpectedly.

Interviewer: How difficult is it to continue your career during russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine? What new meanings have you added to your work since its start? What inspires you to create new paintings in such a turbulent time?

Olesya: For years, I have been developing my hypersensitivity to be "real" in art. Instead, there is a war, and it’s very difficult to understand what kind of world one should not only "develop a career" in, but even just live in. 

80% of my work is related to Ukrainian themes, so it’s clear what inspires me and what is crucial for my further development.

Interviewer: You are fascinated by the Middle Ages, and your paintings contain images from this era. Tell us about one of these paintings, namely "Don’t Forget".

Olesya: The painting "Don’t Forget" from the MdC collection is dedicated to Matilda of Canossa. It is my attempt to explore the life of a medieval woman. I visited the castles of this great countess and had an exhibition in Canossa, curated by the author of books about Matilda, Mario Bernabei (Vice President of the Matilde di Canossa SpA, a tourist promotion society), and art expert Professor Lucia Gramoli, a specialist in the Middle Ages.

Interviewer: What projects are you working on right now?

Olesya: Currently, I am painting pictures with fairy-tale characters and elements of Ukrainian life. (Techniques: sfumato and my beloved impasto.) Over time, projects "gravitate" toward you by themselves when there is a result.

Interviewer: What is your mission as a Ukrainian artist? Why do you have a specific mission?

Olesya: The mission of an artist is to influence society. If there is a lot of inspiration and many paintings, it means that the world needs them.

Interviewer: What word do you associate your own art with? Why is it this word?

Olesya: Life and alive. Because to paint means to be passionate, to be in love, to be strong, and therefore to be alive!

Pictures were provided by Olesya Hudyma