Black Earth; Chornozem
Adam : 2025 Mixed Media on Canvas 150 x 90cm
My paintings are layered constructions of elements, experiences, and memories gathered while working on location in Ukraine. Each piece begins with what I have witnessed—damaged architecture, remnants of conflict, and overlooked details—and evolves through the physical act of painting, which becomes a way to reflect deeply on these encounters.
The process is slow and deliberate, often unfolding over several months. I typically work on multiple paintings at once, allowing for the transfer of surfaces, marks, and forms from one canvas to another. This intuitive ‘cut and paste’ method creates a visual cohesion across the body of work—familiar shapes, textures, and motifs echo and reappear, forming a kind of painterly family tree.
Alongside tangible imagery such as portraiture, children's rucksacks, burnt military vehicles, and crumbling structures, I aim to capture the intangible: the weight of silence, the smell of dust, the echo of footsteps in abandoned spaces. Circles, holes, and signs of decay recur throughout, acting as both formal devices and metaphors for absence, trauma, and resilience.
Each painting is both a document and a meditation—rooted in place, yet open to interpretation.
The process is slow and deliberate, often unfolding over several months. I typically work on multiple paintings at once, allowing for the transfer of surfaces, marks, and forms from one canvas to another. This intuitive ‘cut and paste’ method creates a visual cohesion across the body of work—familiar shapes, textures, and motifs echo and reappear, forming a kind of painterly family tree.
Alongside tangible imagery such as portraiture, children's rucksacks, burnt military vehicles, and crumbling structures, I aim to capture the intangible: the weight of silence, the smell of dust, the echo of footsteps in abandoned spaces. Circles, holes, and signs of decay recur throughout, acting as both formal devices and metaphors for absence, trauma, and resilience.
Each painting is both a document and a meditation—rooted in place, yet open to interpretation.
