Main image: Leonid Bagrii
The twenty-eighth interview through images by Andrew Sheptunov
In the world of contemporary art, there are artists who do not merely record reality, but forge a new one—woven from color, complex textures, and subtle intonations. Leonid Bagrii is one such master. His name has long been iconic in Odessa, and his works have become an integral part of the city’s cultural code, bridging the classical southern school of painting with modern abstract thought.
Bagrii’s creative method resembles that of an archaeologist or a restorer of time. He does not simply apply paint; he constructs cultural layers. Using complex techniques—a combination of oil painting and signature texture pastes—Leonid turns the surface of the canvas into living matter. His famous "String Theory" series is an attempt to visualize the invisible connections that permeate our reality. For the artist, the canvas becomes a space for experiment, where a strict cosmos and a search for inner harmony hide behind an apparent chaos of lines and color patches.
Leonid’s connection to Odessa is intimate. For him, the city is not a collection of tourist locations, but a living, breathing organism possessing its own memory. The artist draws inspiration from the aesthetics of "vanishing nature": from the layers of old paint on facades, the cracks in antique stucco, and the silence of courtyards where the voices of past eras seem to linger still. This "textural quality" of Odessa has migrated to his canvases, transforming into a unique visual language where modern abstraction meets the historical past.
Bagrii’s creative biography is marked by large-scale projects that resonate with the context of the times. Whether it is the sunny and ironic "Greek Salad" exhibition, appealing to the antique roots of the Black Sea region, or his participation in the "New Bridges" project at the Odessa Museum of Western and Eastern Art, Leonid always seeks common ground. His art is a bridge between Ukrainian identity and the global cultural space, between the mythological subjects of antiquity and the acute questions of today.
We decided to abandon the traditional conversation format. Words often oversimplify meanings, whereas Bagrii’s painting requires immersion and contemplation. In this piece, we asked the master to answer 12 conceptual questions about life, art, and the future. His answers are not just direct speech, but the paintings themselves, which speak louder than any manifesto.
We invite you on a visual journey through the world of Leonid Bagrii.
1. Odessa is not just a city, but a living organism. Show its character with one painting.
Artist’s Comment: "Odessa is a living organism. Its silence inhabits the historic center, where the walls of low-rise houses seem to watch over you. In the cozy streets, amidst layers of old paint, peeling stucco, forgotten moldings, and modern graffiti, time itself stands still. Here, silence does not keep quiet—it resonates with memory, accompanying anyone ready to hear it."
2. The work that was the hardest for you to create.
Artist’s Comment: "Creativity has no exact algorithm. For me, it is always an experiment, a flow of living voices and internal conversations. This process is so captivating that there is no room left for 'difficulty'—only interest and the search."
3. A subject where the past meets the future.
Artist’s Comment: "I had no doubts about this choice. This specific work is the most precise answer to the question, although there were other options."
4. What does happiness that cannot be held in one's hands look like?
5. Your answer to the chaos and uncertainty of the outside world.
6. With which painting would you explain to a child what Art is?
7. There is a lot of sun in your works. What does the heat that melts the air look like?
8. The boldest experiment with color or form you have dared to undertake.
Artist’s Comment: "These two works are inseparable: they were created simultaneously, in a single impulse and technique. They are two facets of one idea, which is why I exhibit them only together."
9. Show a modern interpretation of a Goddess or a Muse.
10. Your ideal "bridge" between Ukraine and the world.
11. A painting you would never want to part with.
12. The final chord: a painting-wish for all of us for tomorrow.
The visual dialogue with Leonid Bagrii leaves an aftertaste of that very "transparent silence" he writes about on his canvases. His answers are not a full stop in the conversation, but rather an ellipsis — an invitation for every viewer to find their own meanings in the interweaving lines and layered textures. In a world oversaturated with noise and rapid images, Leonid's painting remains a territory of contemplation, where time slows down, and the old walls of Odesa begin to tell their stories.
The artist's creativity is a continuous process of searching, and behind every finished work lies the beginning of a new experiment. To continue following the master's creative path, and to see new series of works and announcements of future exhibitions, subscribe to Leonid Bagrii's official social media pages.
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