Art is more than what I do — it’s who I am

It’s a reflection of my inner world, my dreams, my history, and the deep emotions I’ve carried with me since childhood.

I was born in Ukraine and raised in Russia by a single mother, navigating the complexities of a rough environment and the emotional weight of being different. With West African and Ukrainian-Russian roots, I often stood out — but not always in a way that felt embraced. Racism and exclusion were part of my early reality.

In that space of feeling unseen, I found art.
It became my sanctuary — a private world where I could express what words couldn’t. Creating gave me comfort, strength, and a sense of identity. It helped me process what I didn’t yet know how to speak.

At just nine years old, I made my first art sales at school in Russia. That moment lit something in me. I felt happy, whole — and for the first time, truly seen. That’s when I knew: this is what I’m meant to do.

My Journey to Becoming a Full-Time Artist

After moving to Germany at the age of 14, I carried my love for creativity with me like a lifeline. I had already discovered art as a child — it was how I processed the world, how I found peace and meaning in a space that often felt uncertain. But as I grew older, my creative path took different shapes.

I developed a deep interest in fashion — not just in the clothes, but in the visual language of style, identity, and bold expression. I went on to study fashion design, and for several years, I worked as a model. That time in the fashion world sharpened my eye for aesthetics and detail, exposed me to creative professionals from all walks of life, and gave me a sense of how visual storytelling works across mediums.

But over time, I began to feel disconnected. The fashion world could be beautiful and exciting — but it also felt superficial, fast-paced, and at times alienating, especially as a woman of color navigating predominantly Eurocentric spaces. I felt unseen, boxed in, and creatively stifled. I longed for something more personal, more meaningful — something that could connect me back to myself and the deeper things I cared about.

That’s when I returned to painting.

What started as a quiet reconnection with my roots soon became a full transformation. Art became my voice again — louder, freer, more rebellious and emotional than ever. In 2012, I made the decision to dedicate myself entirely to my practice. I developed my own bold, expressive style — raw, colorful, layered with emotion, humor, and social commentary.

Today, I create from that place of freedom. My art is personal, yes — but it’s also meant to connect, provoke, and uplift. Every brushstroke carries part of my story — from my earliest drawings in Russia, to my search for identity in Germany, to now building a wild off-grid studio in South Africa through the Kossi Art Rural Project.

Art saved me. Now I use it to speak, to heal, and to give back.

From outsider to model to artist — art is my true language

Express Yourself

I often getting asked where i get my inspirations from. My artistic inspiration comes mostly from my life. I really just expressing myself. For me being in the studio, listening to music and experimenting is the way. And by working everyday in my studio, I am constantly inspired and motivated to create. I say if you allow yourself time to develop your skills, the process of getting better at something is inspirational in itself. You start to realise where your strengths and weaknesses lie. So inspiration for me as an artist becomes a sort of self-fulfilling loop where the more art I produce, the more I develop. And the more I grow in skill, the more inspired I become.