I was trained to master technique, not to trust emotion. Now every painting is an act of unlearning.

Born and raised in rural Ukraine in the 1980s, my childhood art education was a daily, disciplined choreography of obedience. It was a tool for shaping collective identity.  I had no living artist as an example. A daily routine shaped by ideology rather than self-expression, a training designed to mold, not to question.

The distant echo of pioneers like Kazimir Malevich offered a glimpse beyond conformity, but never a way out. Life in rural Soviet Ukraine remained bound to older structures: agricultural roots, folk traditions, and structured creative indoctrination.

It was only when I moved through countries and languages that I relearned what art could mean. Through early adult struggles seeking identity, transformation, and belonging, I discovered that art can be both: a precise process and a deep personal expression. I learned that my early artistic foundation remained the one language understood by all. The ability to express myself visually transcended every border, becoming both my personal expression and a universally recognized voice in my search for identity, belonging, and transformation. If you’ve ever felt unseen in your creativity or if you didn’t grow up around artists… this is what it looks like to keep creating anyway. Don’t just participate in culture - shape it! - A. Xx