I am Uliana Novak, a self-taught artist of Russian origin based in Finland. For many years I worked as a sociologist in academia, exploring the complexities of life, society, and the intricate dynamics of the social world. When I joined an art studio in Helsinki in 2020, I realised that painting allowed me to express myself in a new way which unlocked a sense of freedom within me that I had long been searching for.
The full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022 was a pivotal moment in my transition from academia to art sphere. That profoundly personal and shocking experience greatly affected my life, and I was left no longer able to interpret or describe the world around me through the familiar language of sociology and research which I had become accustomed to. I needed a new language to communicate with the world—and art became that language.
Since 2022, painting became my primary focus, and I have spent about 3 years primarily painting and expanding my body of work.
Since 2022, painting became my primary focus, and I have spent about 3 years primarily painting and expanding my body of work.
Art has also played a crucial role in helping me to explore my own identity and experiences. I have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, but through painting, I have been able to emerge from my inner and secluded world and have begun to communicate with people more. I now feel a part of the wider human community, engaged, concerned and actively responding to what is going on in the world. Through my work, I try to process these things and pour them onto the canvas, showing others how I see the world, sharing my perspective, so that they could see what concerns me and how I express it.
A central theme that unites all of my artworks is the reimagining of world-class masterpieces, which I reinterpret through a contemporary lens. I often draw from the artworks of artists from two countries that are important to me and that I know well, these include: Russia—the country where I was born and lived for half of my life—and Finland, where I currently live and whose history and culture I have come to cherish and continue to study. In my artworks, I make reference to iconic works from art that was born and created in these two countries, using them as a foundation to explore present-day issues that matter to me. By researching and archiving the memory, I explore human fears, complexes, anxieties, and flaws, and do narrate stories about people and society through whimsical sketches that blend humour and depth.
Through the dialogue between past and present, and between the two cultures. I belong to, I’m able to reflect on both personal and collective experiences. I tell my own life story, but at the same time, I merge my own history with more universal, culturally resonant symbols. It makes my art recognizable by the audience. By looking at my art, the viewers might feel connection with their hidden pieces of memory and recollect from their own past.
Through the dialogue between past and present, and between the two cultures. I belong to, I’m able to reflect on both personal and collective experiences. I tell my own life story, but at the same time, I merge my own history with more universal, culturally resonant symbols. It makes my art recognizable by the audience. By looking at my art, the viewers might feel connection with their hidden pieces of memory and recollect from their own past.
