NAU NUA: OLGA TREGUBOVA

Waves and creation


Olga Tregubova Courtesy of Olga Tregubova

When artist Olga Tregubova mentioned the word wave during our discussion on inspiration, I realized that it was the best word to define what I first felt when I discovered her artwork: a wave full of energy that wrapped to take me to new shores. Born in Ukraine in 1994, her art has been exhibited in Kyiv, Munich and Paris showing painting and drawings with a powerful use of color consequence of a deeply curious and open-minded spirit.

What does art mean to you?

Art is a rudimentary thing as a consciousness. I mean this is not necessary for a biological being such as man. But consciousness arose and art with it too. I am interested in the fact that the origin of art has deep anthropological foundations. Even in prehistoric times, people tried to make imagine of something. This suggests that creative activity is registered in us at the genetic level.

When did you realice you wanted to become an artist?

Art has always been in my life. My grandfather and uncle are also artists. So I've always liked art since childhood. I started practicing seriously at the age of 19 when I finally stopped living a religious lifestyle.

What are your artistic referecences?

Andy Warhol has been an icon for me for a long time. I liked these images that he created, the pure colors that he used create the mood of a magical routine. Kandinsky is also important to me, David Hockney, Edward Munch, Paul Gauguin.

What could you tell us about you creative process?

I'm one of those people who has ideas inside my head for a long time, I think about them, and then I draw on canvas or paper. I can work on several works at the same time, this is normal for me.

Your artwork has a surrealist result but also very linked to what we called “reality”. Where does your inspiration come from?

Inspiration comes in different ways. Sometimes it's an impulsive wave that forces you to create something new after an open conversation. Sometimes inspiration comes during the work process.

If we talk about the use of colour, obviously the colour in you art is very powerful, full of energy, with a kind of forcefulness. What is your relation with colours?

I used to like to use pure colors, but at that time I was doing graphic work. Now I prefer expressive painting and the color has become more complex and diverse. I think color sets the emotional mood of work. It allows you to create the desired voltage.

There is also a certain social criticism and along with the powerful use of color, perhaps it can be seen as a certain rage. Am I right?

It is not necessary, but it is possible. Sometimes color plays the role of social criticism, and sometimes it just creates the right mood.

How do you see the current times?

This is an extremely interesting time. A time in which our mental part has changed very much, but the biological remains the same animal. In line with this, we have a digital world that is evolving and changing very fast. Therefore, it is not surprising that we have so many crises. Modern world events such as pandemics, emerging conflicts, protests and violence push me to an emotional state similar to that I felt as a child when I read the Bible about the end of the world. This mood helped to create many of my paintings.

What do you think about the role of arts in society?

Art must be as honest as possible. It is good when it allows you to look at certain things from a different point of view and reflects what is happening in society in any area.

What are your future projects?

I would like to connect my works with modern anthropological research and use this knowledge in my projects. Recently, with the beginning of the pandemic, I became interested in people's ideas about the end of the world in different periods, in different social groups, religious movements. I started a post-colonial series of paintings, I plan to make this project wider.

Could you explain us a dream you had while sleeping?

I have a completely unusual story related to sleep. Maybe one day it will be able to become a plot for a project. For a while I dreamed that I was a member of primary society and that our group and I were moving through the original beautiful world. Around just beautiful nature, many different animals and as if only we in the world. Everything was very realistic and squeezing. One of those rare cases when I did not dream of horrors. Finally a year later I was at a party and talked to a completely random person. This man said he had a similar dream. What a great surprise to me! It's weird, we did't know people at all until now, but we've had an unusual experience.

An interview by Juan Carlos Romero

For further information about Olga Tregubova please visit omintenko.wixsite.com/mysite/proekt-06

Photo courtesy of Olga Tregubova