ARTIST INTERVIEW: Olesya Dzhurayeva
Olesya Dzhurayeva
Photo Creds: Sergii Mazurash
Please introduce yourself.
I am Olesya Dzhurayeva, Ukrainian artist. I was born in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, but I moved to Ukraine as a child. Now I live in Kyiv. Despite the war, I am staying in Ukraine and continue working. My journey as an artist began in 2002 and in 2005, my first personal exhibition took place in one of the Kyiv galleries. Now, I am an active member of the international printmaking community, participant and winner of many international exhibitions and competitions dedicated to printmaking. Last year, the Victoria and Albert Museum acquired three of my works for its graphic collection, which was a big surprise and encouragement for me. Since 2023, I am an Associate Member of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. My creative life is quite rich and exciting – exhibitions, travels, friends from all around the world, etc. I'm happy because I'm doing what I truly love and this gives me strength, even in these difficult times.
What inspired you to try linocut printing?
For the last 10 years I have been working with relief printing, namely linocut. This is one of the simplest and most understandable techniques in printmaking. Most of my artworks are ordinary black and white linocut, printed in the usual way. Perhaps it is the simplicity of the technique, which hides enormous possibilities, attracts me. The result depends only on my idea and the amount of effort I put in. I don't need any special materials other than cutters and linoleum for creating a matrix.
Why is this your chosen medium?
At the institute, I had the opportunity to get acquainted with the basic classical printmaking techniques and linocut was one of them. I can’t say that it immediately attracted my attention, but we definitely met.
My first significant series was cardboard engravings (collagraph), which I started during my study in institute. It made me feel free and self-confident. But cardboard engravings took a lot of time to experiment with during printing. In my case, a printing of one copy took a whole day; on top of that, the result was often at variance with what I planned initially. One copy was usually very different from the other. But it was fun. It could well be that I would have kept on working with this technique, but then things went differently: my children were born. The time I could spend for work got very much limited, so I decided to change the technique. I was ready to spend a lot more hours working with the block — but to have the print result I expected. Linocut was quite the technique I needed.
”The Scream” 2021
Linocut, 50,5 x 77,5cm
How has living in Ukraine impacted your artwork? Have your surroundings been influential to your artwork?
I was formed as an artist and as a person in Ukraine, my entire adult life was spent in this country, despite the fact that I was born in Central Asia. Both my grandmothers were Ukrainian. My art has always celebrated the beauty and uniqueness of the moment, and life and has never dealt with social or political issues. But all this was before russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This changed everything and my art changed a lot during this time. It was a shock that could not help but be reflected in the works. I spent the first two months of the war with my family in a village in central Ukraine. We were forced to leave Kyiv, since it was unsafe to stay at home; the Russian army was standing on the threshold of Kyiv. In those two months, deprived of my usual tools, I created a series of woodcuts of 6 works that reflected the events and my experiences of those days. They are very different from everything I did before the war. This difficult and terrible time requires its own language, and of course it cannot be delicate.
“Window of Hope” 15.03.2022
Woodcut printed by Ukrainian black soil, 12,5 x 24,5 cm
After returning home, to Kyiv, in my studio, I returned to linocut and the work “Always (for another war)” appeared. This linocut was my response to and illustration of a poem by my dear friend from Wales, the writer and artist, Richard Noyce. Last autumn I created the "Under the pressure" series of linocuts in which I combined my experiences before the war with my creative experiences during the war. To create these artworks, I used a series of landscapes created in the period 2013-2021 dedicated to the city in which I live, Kyiv, and formal solutions of woodcuts (the "Window of Hope" series of 6 works created in the first months of the war), which I enlarged and transformed into linocut. The war penetrated into all spheres of our life. In the same way, my statements about the war are layered on the landscape of my city. The city sometimes appears and sometimes gets lost under the pressure of circumstances, but still exists. "Under the pressure" series was presented for the first time at the International Print Triennial in Krakow and received the Special Prize funded by the Rector of the University of the Arts in Poznan.
”Under the pressure. Window of Hope” 2023
Linocut, 50 x 77cm
“Always (for another war)” 2022
Linocut, 28,7 x 20cm
What are the characteristics of an interesting still life subject to capture?
Everything depends on our vision, on the moment. There are no rules. In my opinion, every unique moment is created only by light. Without light in all its concepts, there is no life, no landscapes, no still lifes....
“Just a glass of water” 2022
Linocut, 40x30 cm
Thinking about the last piece you produced, what was your process from start to finish? What initially inspired you?
This is a linocut of "On the edge of light" which I started at the end of 2023 and finished at the beginning of 2024. It is done in my usual style and its title speaks for itself. Now I often immerse myself in thoughts about the essence of man, about the fact that from darkness to light, from life to death, there is only one step. But our life is meaningless if there is no hope in it, if we do not see any light ahead.
“On the edge of light” 2024
Linocut, 27,5 x 40cm
You incorporate sheet music into your artwork. Why is this? Is music an important part of your life?
I graduated from music school with a degree in piano and sheet music was an integral part of my life for 7 years. The sheet music that was pasted into some of the works in my first large series of linocuts were indeed my teaching materials. Music has been and remains an important part of my life. My musical preferences are quite wide - I love classical and modern symphonic music, rock music, jazz, etc. From time to time I attend concerts at the Philharmonic and I am always fascinated by the live sound of the musical instruments. It always inspires and fills me with energy.
“Ernst Kaps” 2011
Linocut, 77,5 x 50cm
What does a typical day look like for you in the studio?
My day in the studio starts at 10 or 11 am and ends at 5 pm. Always starts with a cup of coffee and checking mails and instant messengers. If I don’t have any urgent administrative work related to exhibitions or something else, I do creative work. This is, of course, my favorite part of the job. Normally, I cannot work creatively for more than 4-5 hours per day. After this I lose concentration and can make mistakes. The rest of the time in the studio I devote to things related to my creativity, such as social networks, correspondence with colleagues and friends, international competitions and exhibitions, sales, etc.
If you could spend a day with any artist; dead or alive, who would it be, and why?
I think it would probably be Magritte. I always liked his works, but after visiting his museum in Brussels I completely fell in love. I consider him an unsurpassed artist. For me, he is the best surrealist, since he was inspired by real life. His works can be felt and read without any explanation.
What are your future aspirations as an artist?
Life is a journey, unique and inimitable. This has always been my inspiration. I don't make any big plans, I observe and tell.
Why do you think art is important in society?
Human life is short, art is much more durable. It reflects the present and tells about the past.
