Q: Your work often explores the duality of human nature, focusing on themes like good and evil. How did you first begin to approach these complex ideas in your art, and how have they evolved over time?

A: At the beginning I would like to thank you for inviting me to this interview. Each of my works has a symbolic meaning, but this was not always the case. It developed over time. I wanted my works to be not only pleasing to the eye, but also for their form to convey some essential human content. Internal pain, collusion, lies - these are the topics that I discuss in my works, those showing the evil side of human nature. I try to show the despair, hence the torn bodies expressing a cry for help. Works depicting good qualities such as support, fun, love or transformation for the better are more delicate in form and are not as expressive as paintings with a negative aspect. Just like human emotions, negative ones always trigger a stronger reaction.

Thanks to intensive observation of people, I have become even more sensitive to the surrounding world, which results in subsequent stages of the development of my art. I choose more difficult topics, entering the sphere of psychology and psychiatry. These are not only good and bad human traits, but also such as being lost and not being able to cope with difficult situations in life. Of course, there is always an element of hope.

Q: The sculptural quality of your three-dimensional paintings is striking. Could you share more about your unique technique with papier-mâché and how it influences the emotional resonance of your work?

A: The process of creating my works is time-consuming and extremely thoughtful. I don't take up a topic until I'm sure I can handle it. Paper mâché is a difficult material that requires constant supervision. Patience and systematicity are required when forming shapes. First, I create the skeleton, then I trim and shape it. To connect several body parts, for example the arm with the torso or the neck with the face, I apply thin layers of paper to avoid distortions. Medium format works take several months to complete. This is due to the long drying time, but also to shaping the final form. Papier mâché is a technique based on creating a shape using layers of paper - if the layer is too thick, moisture will distort it. The time consumption and constant observation of the emerging shapes significantly influence the creation of the final message of the work. Because they are created so slowly and I have time to constantly observe them, I can gradually strengthen their message and make the viewer feel the emotions I want to convey.

Q: Your use of white as a primary focus in your paintings is unconventional and powerful. What inspired this departure from traditional colour palettes, and how does it help convey the symbolic messages in your pieces?

A: The main inspiration when I started to create my artistic style was ancient art. It had a significant influence on my work. In primary school, I had a wonderful art teacher who paid a lot of attention to me and showed me a lot of albums with ancient art. Ancient reliefs and sculptures were colorless. I also thought the colors would make my works exaggerated. In this case, the color has been replaced by a shadow, which makes the three-dimensional painting look slightly different at different times of the day and depending on the angle at which the light falls. This also gives collectors the opportunity to have the final influence on the lighting and thus the power of the message of my works.

Q: You mention being fascinated by philosophical anthropology and the works of thinkers who studied the human psyche. How do these influences shape the narrative and structure of your art?

A: Of course, I am interested in philosophical anthropology because its basic question is who is man and what is his existential structure? That is, who we are and what is our position in the surrounding world. In my art, as in Aristotle's works, there are issues of the location of body and soul, their unity and inseparability. I must also say that I have always been fascinated by man and his emotional charge, and only with time I began to become familiar with the works of philosophers and psychologists who explain the principles of the human mind and its internal experiences, i.e. thinking, suffering, joy. This is the first layer of my interest in humanity.

Nowadays, various emotional states of a person are much more important to me. Human life abounds in various emotional and spiritual states. Both the sense of horror, darkness and happiness arise within ourselves. Anxiety always takes the form that is at hand. It is clinging to what just clings to the soul. Today we are happy and confident, and tomorrow we might think that we are nobody and are worth nothing. It all rushes inside us somehow. Of course, we are different outside and adjust to the personal space of other people. I think that circumstances also make us do it, it is difficult to be happy when nothing works out for you. However, you can approach it from the other side, not focus on failures, but instead try to focus on what makes us happy and what is important to us.

Q: As a self-taught artist with a background in art history, how has your academic perspective informed your practical creative process? What challenges have you faced merging these two worlds?

A: I didn't have to face any challenges combining art history with being a self-taught artist, because one field complemented the other. Studying art history has greatly expanded my understanding of art. I saw it from a different side, not so far practical, but more theoretical. The multitude of paintings seen during the classes and learning about the history of artists and their techniques were extremely fascinating and informative. I think that it is thanks to the history of art that my work has developed and, in addition to its visual character, it has also gained a message that was missing in my first paintings. Everything I create now has developed thanks to learning, watching and gaining knowledge. The lessons I have learned throughout my life have allowed me to create my own art, the way I feel, and the history of art has allowed me to give paintings a deeper meaning and strengthen their message.

Q: What advice would you offer to emerging artists who are exploring deeply symbolic and experimental techniques in their work?

A: That they listen to their inner voice, devote a lot of energy to observing and absorb as much knowledge as they can. So that young artists are not afraid to experiment and determine the direction they want to go. Of course, the most important thing is to have a good plan and something important to convey. Be honest in your views, work hard and love what you do, don't compare yourself with others, don't seek applause. This makes the art authentic.