“People Have Become Less Cruel,” Says Ukrainian Sculptor Andrii Voznytskyi
Andrii Voznytskyi. Panel from the “Rebirth” series
Andrii Voznytskyi was born in Lviv into a family closely connected with art. He graduated from the Lviv School of Applied Arts and the Sculpture Department of the Lviv National Academy of Arts. In 2000, he moved to Uzhhorod, where for many years he worked in interior design while simultaneously creating sculptures in stone, wood, and bronze.
In 2012, together with his wife Olesia, he founded NaturaCeramica, a studio producing ceramic objects. He is currently working on a series of structural panels titled “Rebirth,” made from charcoal, clay, and other natural materials.
His works have been featured in numerous international exhibitions and are held in galleries and private collections around the world.
What is the first creative moment in your life that you remember?
grew up in a creative family and often drew, sculpted, and carved wooden figures using my mother’s scalpel. My first truly creative moment came when I was around sixteen. Standing among the bleak Khrushchev-era apartment blocks in the new neighborhood where I lived, I realized how dull the world people created around themselves was.
Sensing that everything could be done completely differently, I realized that I urgently needed to create something, to change the world around me. My first art object was a chair that I assembled from two old chairs I had found in the trash and pieces of wood shaped with chisels and a saw.
What is your creative ambition?
For me, the most important things in creativity are depth and harmony. Ambition is important, but one has to be careful with it. Ambition must be balanced by the meanings embedded in the work. And the higher both of these dimensions are at the same time, the better the result.
What stands in the way of realizing your creative ambitions?
For example, I came up with a series of works that, to fully embody the idea, need to be large — about three meters each. To create them, I need more space — a larger studio than the one I have now — and, accordingly, more funding. Such practical details slow down the creative process, but they do not put it on hold.
How do you start your day?
I get up early, and the beginning of the day is an important time for me. My best thoughts come in the morning. I plan my work and rest, and find answers to questions that have been troubling me. I make all important decisions early in the morning. I enjoy exploring different places and textures of our planet through Google Maps.
Which artists do you admire most?
My priorities have changed at different periods of my life. I grew up inspired by the works of Henry Moore, Tony Cragg, Barbara Hepworth, and Isamu Noguchi. Over the past decade, it has been Yo Akiyama. His works are the best example of balance, meaning, and ambition. He remains a complete mystery to me, and that is the most important thing.
How would you define a muse? And who is your muse?
Perhaps my muse is music. I always listen to music while I work, and it is very important that it matches my emotional state.
How do you react when you encounter superior intellect or talent?
I enjoy the work of talented people. Meeting them makes me want to learn more about them, to analyze their lives and see the connection between their life journeys and their work.
How do you feel about obstacles on the road to success or the threat of failure?
My life, like everyone else’s, is an alternation of successes and failures. The older I become, the less emotional I feel about them. Success is a consequence of failure. The main thing is to know how to take pleasure in the journey you have traveled.
How do you understand mastery?
Perhaps mastery is the ability to create the greatest possible impact while achieving a balance between the material and spiritual dimensions of a work.
Over the past decade, Ukraine has changed in the following way…
I have not traveled much, so it is difficult for me to trace the changes across all of Ukraine. My hometown is Lviv, while for the past 22 years I have lived in Uzhhorod. In my view, global changes have taken place over the past 40 years.
For me, the most important thing is that people have become less cruel.
The main criterion of the quality of any society is the ability to live happily and in harmony with nature. We are surrounded by beautiful nature and an excellent climate; all that remains is for us to change our values and become worthy of what surrounds us.
Is it possible to forgive an enemy?
I am not a vindictive person and I easily forgive friends, but if someone is marked as an enemy, it is forever.
What is the best advice you have received in your life?
The first good piece of advice that comes to mind came from a friend, who in turn had received it from his grandmother:
Many people around you will try to deceive you; the main thing is not to deceive yourself.
Photos courtesy of Andrii Voznytskyi
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