10 Questions with Anastasiia Kolhan
Anastasia Kolgan (b. 1992, Luhansk, Ukraine) is a contemporary visual artist working primarily in watercolour, oil, and mixed media, currently based in Wrocław, Poland. Although she began painting only recently, for over a decade, she worked as a UI/UX designer in the game industry. The turbulent events of recent years awakened in her a new, deeper form of expression, transforming her creativity from digital design into fine art. This personal metamorphosis became the foundation of her artistic language, intuitive, symbolic, and emotionally charged.
Her practice merges contemporary art with rich layers of symbolism and a touch of surrealism, turning personal experiences into universal narratives of strength, vulnerability, and resilience.
She is the author of the series Red Signs and In the Dark, where gesture, intuition, and symbolic detail create a dialogue between inner worlds and collective meaning. Kolgan’s art often unfolds in large, cohesive series: for instance, Red Signs currently includes 17 works, while In the Dark comprises six and continues to expand. Each series has its own visual language, mood, and tonality, forming a unified emotional and aesthetic universe that defines her signature style.
Anastasia is not only an artist but also the founder of ArtMisto, an art space and framing workshop. She not only creates her paintings but also independently designs and frames them, forming complete compositions where the frame becomes an extension of the artwork. This approach transforms each piece into a finished object, a cohesive artistic statement ready for exhibition.
Exhibiting in Ukraine, Germany, and the UK, Kolgan also creates performative experiences that unite women into communities of empowerment. These encounters turn her art into a shared space of self-discovery, self-love, and solidarity, where creativity becomes a form of healing and strength.
Anastasiia Kolhan - Portrait
ARTIST STATEMENT
Anastasiia Kolhan’s art grows from lived experiences and inner transformations, where life, death, and love are inseparably intertwined. Each work emerges from personal stories, moments of tenderness, vulnerability, and strength, that echo within her like an energy seeking release.
The series “Red Signs” is a reinterpretation of how relationships appear from a woman’s perspective, in gestures, frames, and fleeting moments. Each piece captures an emotional fragment, but when viewed together, they reveal the full picture and tone of a relationship: its passion, power, and complexity. Through sensual symbols and tactile contrasts, the artist explores how intimacy can be both empowering and destructive, turning vulnerability into resilience.
The series “In the Dark” reflects on what life feels like when one is fighting inner doubts, dark, intense, and filled with struggle. Inspired by Picasso’s Homme assis and The Three Musketeers, Kolhan creates a world where swords, feathers, and gloved hands coexist with fragile female gestures. It is a vision of a woman-warrior, graceful yet fierce, who battles her own shadows with dignity and strength.
For Kolhan, painting is a way to crystallise fleeting emotions, intimacy, loss, and confrontation into universal symbols. Through her works, she invites the viewer to feel both the fragility and power of existence: the pulse of life, the inevitability of death, and the enduring force of love that binds them.
Series “In the Dark” 1st part, Watercolor on paper, 144x86 cm, 2025 © Anastasiia Kolhan
INTERVIEW
Let’s start from the beginning. You transitioned from a decade-long career as a UI/UX designer in the gaming industry to painting. What prompted this shift, and how has your design background influenced your artistic vision?
That period was full of world-changing events, war, migration, stress, and new challenges. Life itself transformed completely, and everything hidden inside began to surface. I had always painted privately, but never showed my works to anyone. For me, it was simply a way to relax, not something serious. Ten years ago, the idea of earning a living through art seemed as unrealistic to me as dreaming, at seventeen, of having your own boy band and actually making money from it. People rarely take such dreams seriously. The creative energy was always part of my work as a designer, but it was organised, structured, and aimed at results. Eventually, the emotions and potential inside me grew so strong that creativity just burst out in a new form.
Can you tell us more about your first encounter with painting? What drew you to watercolour, oil, and mixed media as your primary means of expression?
I’ve been painting since I was a child, and art always came naturally to me. I fell in love with watercolour because of its transparency and lightness. Yet, it demands confidence and precision: you have just one chance to make a brushstroke, you can’t erase it or paint over it as in oil. That balance between control and delicacy captivate me. I also work with acrylic and mixed media when I want to experiment, but watercolour remains my favourite. Right now, I’m transitioning to acrylic because I’m working on larger-scale canvases; unfortunately, watercolour is limited in size and paper.
Series “Red Signs” 2nd part, Watercolor on paper, 144x86 cm, 2025 © Anastasiia Kolhan
Your work blends contemporary art with symbolism and surrealism. How do you develop the symbolic language that runs through your series?
My series is about emotions and relationships. I work with universal imagery, gestures and symbols that are intuitively understood by everyone, like “emojis” in the realm of feelings. I study my own emotions and those of others, observing expressions, body language, and the silent moments when a person doesn’t speak but clearly feels something I recognise within myself. My symbolic language is born from these observations. It reflects what I see in others and in my own inner world. That’s how my series comes to life.
Both Red Signs and In the Dark explore deeply emotional narratives. How do personal experiences translate into the visual stories you create?
Personal experience is always the main catalyst for my work. I truly admire artists who create from joy and serenity, but for me, creativity often begins in emotional turbulence. When feelings get trapped inside and words aren’t enough, painting becomes my language, a way to process and transform emotions. Through art, I turn what feels overwhelming into something meaningful and beautiful. That act of creation is how I find balance and release.
Gesture and intuition seem central to your creative process. What role does spontaneity play when you begin a new work or series?
I’ve never thought about it deeply, but sometimes I just jump up and paint a piece in one evening, that’s pure spontaneity.Other times, I plan my works and series in detail, thinking and dreaming about them for weeks. I wouldn’t call myself a spontaneous person, but I’m grateful for those rare moments of inspiration that feel like flow.
Her, Watercolor on paper, 33x33 cm, 2025 © Anastasiia Kolhan
Him, Watercolor on paper, 33x33 cm, 2025 © Anastasiia Kolhan
You design and frame your paintings yourself through ArtMisto. How does this hands-on approach affect your relationship with each artwork?
It’s important for me to stay connected to every stage of the creative process. Sometimes I already imagine the frame and mat in my mind while I’m still thinking about a painting that doesn’t yet exist. I like that the character of each series can be felt even through its framing; it’s part of the visual language. With small watercolours, the frame highlights their subtlety and lightness, I enjoy playing with that. But when I move into large-format canvas painting, the frame will play a smaller role. For now, it’s part of my ongoing experiment.
Your performative experiences often bring women together around shared emotions and strength. How does community engagement influence your artistic practice?
I’m deeply inspired by women and feminine energy. I feel renewed in the company of open, intelligent women; it’s always a source of creative power for me. But it’s not only about women, I’m drawn to open-hearted people in general, those who don’t hide or suppress their emotions. That honesty nourishes my art. Often, I recharge by meeting my girlfriends for a delicious dinner and a glass of wine. I’m a bit of a hedonist, and I believe that joy and beauty are also essential parts of creativity.
The series In the Dark draws inspiration from Picasso, as you mention in your statement. Which other artists or movements have shaped your aesthetic and conceptual approach?
I love the surrealists, especially Dalí, though what fascinates me most is his personality and how he expressed creativity across so many forms. I love that he even created a tarot deck and placed himself in it as The Magician. Symbolism also has a strong influence on me; I admire Klimt, Vrubel, Picasso, and Frida Kahlo. My absolute favourite, however, is Arkhip Kuindzhi, a Ukrainian artist. He wasn’t a symbolist himself, but his extraordinary use of colour influenced many of his students, some of whom later became symbolists, like Nicholas Roerich.
Queen Of Wands, Watercolor on paper, 40x50 cm, 2025 © Anastasiia Kolhan
Your paintings convey both fragility and resilience. What emotions or messages do you hope viewers take away from your work?
Through my art, I expose and “legalise” my emotions, I make them visible and human. I want to tell people who are going through emotional pain: it’s okay. Everyone feels this way sometimes. Your emotions are real; don’t punish yourself for being sensitive or vulnerable. The real danger, I believe, is in hiding how you feel. That’s the easiest way to lose yourself. The most destructive emotions are guilt for what you feel and self-doubt - they keep us from living the life we truly want. I hope my work helps people face and release these emotions and find freedom in self-acceptance.
Lastly, looking ahead, are there any new series, collaborations, or projects you’re currently developing or would like to explore in the near future?
Yes, I’m planning a new large-scale series, canvases from 50x50 cm and larger. I’ll be working primarily in acrylic, as it offers more freedom and flexibility for bigger formats. I imagine about ten interconnected works meant to be shown together, like a visual journey, where each painting intuitively leads to the next. What will it be about? I think it will be about love.
Artist’s Talk
Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.
