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Olena Papka
Transfiguration
Transfiguration is the phenomenon of changes in signs, properties, and other metamorphoses.
During the war, changes are constant and instantaneous on all possible levels, from global, geopolitical, and cultural to individual transformations, physical or mental.
All paintings were created specifically for this exhibition between August and October 2023. Some of these are based on sketches drawn as pure, quick reactions to events or reflections on them. Some of the plots were born spontaneously in the process of work.
Preparation for the exhibition caught me in a period of my own creative metamorphosis, where I gradually changed the painting style and the semantic load of the content; I am moving from the obvious and direct to symbolism.
My artistic practice is connected with two styles: decorative symbolism and naive genre. It is the naive works that are presented in the Transfiguration project.
My paintings in the naive genre are like an airbag that softens the impact of reality.
This is an opportunity to look at events through the lens of irony, to be healed with humor, and to broadcast ease of being, even when I depict war. Sometimes, a plot is quite specific, and sometimes, it is like taking a snapshot of internal or external changes, and rethinking values through easy metaphorical images.
Faced with the challenges and consequences of the war, I realized that now the power of art is in the ability to be turned into a weapon that destroys enemies.I transfer 50% of the price of each painting to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
