Main image: Andrey Jelez
Twenty-third interview through images by Andrew Sheptunov
Odessa has always been a city where light and shadow play by their own rules, and the sea dictates the rhythm of life. It is in this atmosphere, saturated with southern sun and freedom, that the artist Andrey Jelez lives and creates. The foundation of his work is both professional and academic: Andrey studied Fine Arts at OGASA (The State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture).
He is a bright representative of the modern Ukrainian art scene, whose works have absorbed not only the rigor of the academic school but also that elusive "Odessa air" that one can never quite breathe enough of. Yet, his Odessa is not merely landscapes; it is a deep, metaphysical environment where reality intertwines with fantasy.
The style of Andrey Jelez is unmistakable. His creativity is a constant dialogue of dualities: cold and hot, reason and feeling. The artist's palette is often divided into two dominant poles: a deep, almost mystical blue—the color of mystery, night, and the subconscious—and a vibrating red—the color of passion, life, and fire.
The central image of his paintings is the nude figure. However, this is not simply a depiction of the body; it is an exploration of what the artist calls his "female alter-ego." Through the curves, plasticity, and vulnerability of the female form, Andrey explores his own soul, turning hidden emotions inside out.
Jelez’s craftsmanship is technically complex and multifaceted. He employs a mixed media technique, layering oil over acrylic to create an effect of depth and inner glow. It is reminiscent of the Old Masters, yet in an absolutely modern interpretation. It is as if, beneath the glossy layer of varnish, there hides living, pulsating matter, ready to break out of the frame at any moment.
Today, as Ukraine passes through dark times and Odessa regularly hears the sound of sirens, Andrey’s work acquires new meanings. His search for beauty and harmony becomes an act of resistance against destruction, and his bright colors become a manifesto of life that continues despite everything.
Art critics can spend hours discussing brushstrokes and composition, but sometimes words become superfluous. We decided to attempt an experiment. We abandoned the standard text interview and asked Andrey Jelez to answer our questions in the only language that requires no translation—the language of his painting.
We asked the artist 12 questions—about love, mystery, Odessa, and war. In response, he did not utter a single word. He simply showed us his paintings.
1. What does a woman's soul look like when no one is watching?
2. What is the main mystery of the human body?
3. Show us the vulnerability that is actually a strength.
4. If Adam hadn't accepted the apple, what would Eve be like now?
5. What does the dialogue between the past and the present look like in your works?
6. What does a “Night at the Museum” look like through your eyes?
7. Where in your paintings does that specific Odessa air live, the kind one can never breathe enough of?
8. If Malevich painted “A Living Body” instead of “Black Square,” what would it look like?
9. Where is the exit from the labyrinth of the mundane?
10. What does a dream look like that you are afraid (or want) to see in reality?
11. Odessa is often called “Mama.” If Odessa is a woman, how does she look on your canvases?
12. If this exhibition were a single sentence, with which painting would you put the full stop?
Art is the only language where silence does not mean emptiness. In today’s visual dialogue, Andrey Jelez showed us his truth: about passion breaking through cold blue tones, about the fragility of the human soul, and about the indomitable spirit of Odessa, which continues to live on canvas despite any circumstances.
Each painting that served as an answer to our question is not a period, but an ellipsis. It is an invitation for the viewer to co-create. After all, what you saw in these images says as much about you as it does about the artist himself.
The history of Andrey Jelez is being written right now—in his studio, where the smell of paint mixes with the salty air of the Black Sea. To follow new chapters of this story, see new works, and be the first to know about future exhibitions, we invite you to join the artist on social media.
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