We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tetiana Kalivoshko a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Tetiana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
When I was in High-school I decided to study to be an artist and started taking a 5-hour train ride to L’viv every Thursday night to study art all weekend with my Igor Chomsky who was my first art teacher. Igor took me under his wing and taught me the basics of art. I remember that the first question he asked me when we met was to show him my sketch book. I didn’t have one and he later told me that it was much easier to teach someone who didn’t do art before than to start changing the way someone create.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am an American-based Ukrainian artist specializing in painting, sculpture, and art installations. Through my work, I strive to bridge cultural divides and convey messages of peace, transformation, and renewal. I currently working on few collections.
Looking at my Power Collection makes the viewer see that being a sexy and a strong woman comes from the power within the body and not just from how the body looks and that women from any race, at any age with or without imperfection, is beautiful and powerful because the power comes from within.
I wants the viewer to see what they want to see and come up with their own
interpretation of what they see.
In the Spring War Collection I try to find hope during a time of war, devastation and destruction. In the mix of war and despair, I would like to send a message of hope and strength to those affected by reminding them that from the rebels and destruction caused by the war, a better prosper future will come.
My “Red Means Love” collection is comprised of printed photography images of deferent faceless couples, wearing gas masks which cover their face, and each
couple is connected with a bright red thread.
The gas masks represented metaphorical masks people are wearing to hide behind every single day.
Those are the rules, restrains, opinions, pre-judgment, religious beliefs and social constrains that people wear.
The mask covers the face, obfuscating the identity, and comes off when alone, or around those who have earned ones trust.
The bright red thread represents all the possible type of love and connection like love between soul mates, lovers, friends, family members, colleagues, strangers, kids, people from deferent race/ethnicity, gender, social class, social economic status, sexual orientation, abilities, disabilities, religions, religious beliefs.
Ancient east Asian proverb says that an invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. the thread may stretch or tangle but will never break.
I also create installations for special causes, events and art shows.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I think that the most rewarding aspect of being an artist for me is the ability to send a messages through my art that are loud and clear like a message of hope to those in need and in time of despair. A message to women around the world reminding them their natural rights like with who to be, what to do with their body and life and who to be. Those type of messages may seem obvious to some but not to many others and I feel fortunate to be able to send this message out there with the hope that it will reach as many audience as possible especially those who needs it.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I don’t think art by itself can change the world, but it can help giving another perspective, the ones of the artist. In 2017 I started the creation of the War Collection. I created this collection to express in each piece what both adult and young kids experience see during the dark times of a war. Each piece shows a metaphor of war and a metaphor of beauty. The Beauty of the forest is like a medicine that heals the ugliness of the memories and horrible events that took place during the war. In my art you will see few different types of weapons intertwined (twisted together) with flowers. It’s how beauty turns into a war zone and a war zone turn back to beauty. So, each piece shows a metaphor of war and a metaphor of beauty. And that was my way to express my feelings, my pain and to give a message of Hope. And as I said, this message of hope may not change the world but may give another perspective, a perspective of hope and a vision of the light in the end of the tunnel.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tetianakalivoshko.com/
- Instagram: @tetiana.kalivoshko
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tetianakalivoshkoart/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tetiana-kalivoshko-35530a114
- Twitter: @TKalivoshko
- Youtube: @tetianakalivoshko4208
- Other: https://www.1stdibs.com/art/paintings/abstract-paintings/tetiana-kalivoshko-what-do-you-see-here-what-could-be-3-painting-54x30in-tetiana-kalivoshko/id-a_8972712/