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Artist Statement

My work explores themes of the nature, human nature and the nature of technology. I'm curious about the intersection and transformation between these three worlds. How do we relate to each other in this rapidly changing realm? What impact does technology have on the environment and on our inner selves? And where can we find a balance between the digital and the physical?

In my practice I combine computational art with traditional fine art techniques such as painting to explore these connections. This allows me to bridge the gap between the physical and the digital, highlighting both their harmony and chaos. I often work with abstract forms and patterns, organic shapes, glitches and layered textures to reflect the rhythms of nature and the structure of technology.

For me, art is a way of understanding ourselves, others and the world around us. I'm interested in how technology shapes our experiences and our environment. Through my work I hope to encourage others to pause and reflect on their own relationship with the natural world and the digital technologies that we already find difficult to live without. And my aim is to create a space for connection and dialogue where we can explore how to move forward in a way that feels balanced and meaningful.

Document my Current Art Practice

Support work and process

Resolved Artwork

Life Textures.
The artwork brings together the textured surfaces of human skin and tree bark, blending them with digital distortions to explore their shared traits and differences.
By blending these organic forms with technological elements, the piece reveals how deeply connected we are to both nature and the digital age. The patterns of skin and bark, each bearing the marks of age, memory, and life, become symbols of strength, growth, and resilience. It’s a reflection on connection, individuality, and the flow of time.

Critical Reflection

The context of my project came in the winter-spring of 2023, at that time I was still in Ukraine and every day I heard the air raid sirens combined with explosions. I was very tired of it, I wanted peace. In the midst of the constant sound of sirens, I noticed that birds were singing under my windows, and their singing made me want to start making works on the theme of nature and human and their connection. At the same time I started to meditate, to be more in nature and to photograph it. In September 2023 I left Ukraine and in the autumn and winter of 2023-2024, before coming to London, I lived in Camaret Sur Mer and in Paris, where I continued to photograph nature.

The Water Lilies, Claude Monet

Water Lilies is a series of large-scale paintings by Claude Monet. It depicts Monet's garden and pond at Giverny, focusing on water lilies and reflections on water. When I first saw them at the Orangerie Museum in Paris, I was impressed and understood that this was a direction in which I wanted to develop my future work: I really liked the immersive effect and the layers of colour and texture, combining impressionist techniques with an almost abstract composition. I find Monet's Water Lilies deeply serene and mesmerising. The large canvases, with their soft, flowing brushstrokes and abstract depictions of water, evoke a sense of timelessness and immersion in nature. It feels meditative.
These large scale canvas open my personal interpretation and allow me to immerse myself in the serene beauty of the scenes.
I have made abstract pastel sketches and some oil paintings based on my photo shoots, which capture both the peacefulness and complexity of nature, symbolising introspection, a peaceful escape from the chaos of modern life, it gives a sense of fluidity, echoing feelings of calm.

"Echoes of the Earth, Refik Anadol

"Echoes of the Earth" is an immersive digital art installation by Refik Anadol that visualises climate and environmental data. It is a digital artwork composed of data, light and projected imagery.
The artwork uses machine learning, AI algorithms, and environmental data to create immersive visuals in real time. I saw this exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery in London and it had a huge impact on me. For me, it shows how we can use cutting-edge digital tools like AI and data visualisation not only to interpret natural processes, but also to make the invisible patterns of our environment visible and tangible. It creates a bridge between the organic and digital worlds.

The beautiful visuals make me think about my connection to nature and the digital world. I also appreciate how the use of AI and data changes the way we think about creativity and art. Taken together, these elements make me think about the harmony between nature, humans and technology, how we coexist with nature, how technology shapes us and how these threads weave together to form the evolving fabric of life.

The visual modifications and distortions in this project symbolise for me the perfection of nature and the chaos of technology. I am experimenting with glitches and distortions and the glitch in this concept is not just a glitch, but a visual reminder that evolution is never perfect, but it is in this imperfection that something new is born.

Sydenham Hill Wood and Cox's Walk

From the natural elements, my direction went to trees, because trees symbolise power and energy within, they fill a person and embracing trees helps to discover something incredible about ourselves, creative, unknown before. Connecting with trees helps to relieve stress and receive energy.
Sydenham Hill Wood and Cox's Walk, a nature reserve in Dulwich, London, seamlessly blend remnants of Victorian gardens with ancient woodland, embodying the harmonious coexistence of human history and natural landscapes.
The presence of over 200 species of trees and plants in the reserve underlines the rich tapestry of life that thrives when natural and human elements coexist. Exploring this forest has allowed me to reflect on my relationship with the trees and the deeper connections between humanity and nature. During one of my photo walks I found out the idea about the similarities and differences between the bark of a tree and the human skin. It also allowed me to study the reflections on textures that can be felt, the touch of a tree skin and a human skin evokes different emotions: from warmth and cosiness to a feeling of strength and stability, about their unique patterns, age and memory.

Dave and Gabe collaboration with Kelly Moran

This project is a live audiovisual performance created in collaboration with musician Kelly Moran for the release of her album Ultraviolet on Warp Records. It involves real-time generative visuals synchronised to Moran's prepared piano compositions.
The work is a compelling fusion of music and visual art, each enhancing the other to create an immersive sensory experience. For me it is a combination of physical art (playing the piano) and digital art (visual projections) that really appeals to me and that is what I would like to achieve in my art practice - the combination of digital art and oil painting.
In this work I see the connection between sound and vision, translating the emotional depth of music into visual forms. The combination of visual projection and piano playing makes me think about how to combine and blend skin patterns with tree bark patterns. Visual art projections in this project give me thoughts about skin: human skin, tree skin, nature skin, digital skin - what is digital skin, can we call technologies that we use our digital skin, human, nature, world more and more with evert day life are covered with digital skin... What qualities and types does digital skin have?

I think my experiments in this unit have given me an understanding of where I want to go next, and I am now excited to expand my process through binding digital and physical art, and I look forward to where it can take me within the themes I am exploring.

Contexts

FEMGEN: Expanding the Art World with New Digital Practices at Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2024

In October 2024, the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington hosted "FEMG3N: Expanding the Art World with New Digital Practices," a discussion exploring how generative approaches are redefining the relationship between art and technology.

The event featured artists Licia He and Anna Ridler in conversation with writer and academic Charlotte Kent. Peter Bauman, editor-in-chief of Le Random, spoke about the significant contributions women have made in generative art, and V&A curator Melanie Lenz discussed the museum's engagement with these narratives. This talk was part of the V&A's inaugural Digital Art Season, which ran until November 30, 2024, addressing questions of technology, creativity, and digital culture.

I was especially inspired by Anna Ridler's work. Her practice involves using data and technology to reflect on the systems humans create to understand the world. I appreciated how she combines organic and technological elements in her pieces, exploring themes like knowledge, measurement, and how we perceive the natural world.

The event made me reflect on how I can apply these ideas to my own work. Ridler’s use of generative systems inspired me to think more about blending natural and digital textures in my art. Her exploration of knowledge systems aligns with my interest in the intersection of nature and technology. It encouraged me to consider how digital techniques can enhance storytelling while still respecting the organic elements in my art.

Post Human/non-human media workshop with Dr. Eleanor Dare

Dr Eleanor Dare is a Postdoctoral Research Associate and former Methods Fellow (2023-2024) at Cambridge Digital Humanities, and in November 2024 she led a practical on workshop on post-human/non-human media. During this session we had great conversations about humanism, non-humanism, post-humanism and the ethical and non-ethical implications of AI on humans and nature.

During the workshop we explored different materials that could shape and change our perception of ordinary things, and after using these devices we created new games/art practices.

One of the exercises was to create an image of oneself as an assemblage of different body interactions, of intense relationships... as an assemblage of different forces, from human potential to technological interactions and forces, to economic forces at play, experimental aesthetic forces, conceptual philosophical modulations.... I really enjoyed this task because it expands your mind and your perception of yourself and makes you see and understand yourself from a different angle.

Another task that I really liked was to make an image or movie of the different animals and insects vision by exploring different lenses. This gave me the opportunity to understand how different animals and insects see the world. I really enjoyed making photos and videos of nature from this perspective, it brought up new ideas and feelings about nature and people’s connection to it.

The workshop was very insightful for me and offered a rich combination of theory and practice, providing a unique space to explore non-human perspectives and their potential to reshape art, media and self-awareness. It was an inspiring and thought-provoking experience.

Attention! Screening and talk on media literacy in the digital age - collaborative event with Xinyu Liu (artist) and Dr. Jonathan Hardy (researcher)

This event was about the power of storytelling, the complexities of modern marketing and the urgent need for ethical media governance. The central question of the discussion was: how do we navigate the fast-paced, attention-driven internet ecosystem while maintaining our digital well-being?
Xinyu Liu presented and discussed her video work The Message You Don't Want to Miss.

It was about how modern media and advertising affect us and our attention. She explained how advertising now looks like normal content, making it hard to tell what's real and what's advertising. This creates ethical problems as people are constantly shown content designed to grab their attention, often using tricks like FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), and internet platforms keep us feeling that way.
Xinyu showed how marketers use techniques similar to breaking news. They create urgency and trust to sell products, but this also contributes to the feeling of being overwhelmed by information.

The event also included a talk with Professor Hardy and a Q&A session. It helped both creatives and consumers better understand today's media and how to act thoughtfully in this fast-paced digital environment.

I found this event very relevant for anyone using social media today. It made me think about how our daily interactions with digital media shape our understanding of nature and technology and how they intersect. The discussion encouraged me to think about the balance between staying connected and maintaining a sense of well-being, particularly in how we engage with technology while preserving our relationship with the natural world. It also raised important questions about ethics, attention and how to navigate a space where the organic and the digital increasingly overlap.

Additional Content

If a building becomes architecture, then it is art