Anna Moskalets

The work of Ukrainian painter and curator Anna Moskalets (b. 1992, Romny) places vague, somewhat ominous cloaked forms over colorful, carefully textured backgrounds that recall the canon of classical European portraiture. Drawing inspiration from traditional Ukrainian textile patterns, Moskalets explores women’s place in society and the impact of war across painting and digital collage.

The subjects of Moskalets’ recognizable portraits wear headscarves, a defining element of life for Ukrainian women; wrapped in scarves at birth, they continue to wear shawls and scarves as they age. According to the artist, her scarves are powerful representations of Ukrainian identity and femininity. At times, her cloaked subjects stand suspended in front of their backgrounds, drawing the viewer in - at other times they don more elaborately patterned garb that blends in and flattens the image. Moskalets’ portraits are like scenes from a dream, somehow appearing at once alien and strangely familiar. Sonya: A Sunflower Network Project is proud to feature Eksteza (2022), a recent work indicative of the artist’s signature style.

The night the war broke out, Moskalets slept in her studio, waking up surrounded by her work to the sound of missile strikes. For 63 days, Moskalets stayed in Kyiv, volunteering in aid for her fellow Ukrainians. Today, she lives and works in Berlin, waiting for the chance to return home.

Moskalets’ work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in Ukraine, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Poland, Georgia and Italy.