Born: 1986, Lviv, Ukraine

Residence: 2015, Berlin, Germany

Nationality: Ukrainian

Profession: Artist

Biography

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Grycja Erde is a contemporary Ukrainian artist specializing in collage (both analog and digital), painting, and mixed media. She also explores video art, poetry, and the creation of art objects. Her work is characterized by its surrealistic approach, often depicting alternative realities and "what if" scenarios to reinterpret emotions and societal norms.

Her art focuses on themes such as:

  • The emotional lives of women and their roles in society.
  • The exploration of "bad emotions" like stress, anger, and jealousy, and how these impact human interactions.
  • Reimagining historical photographs by altering the characters' roles and interactions in the visual narratives.

Erde’s art has been exhibited in multiple venues across Europe, and she continues to build a body of work that combines visual experimentation with storytelling.

Artistic Style

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Erde’s style is rooted in surrealism. Her pieces aim to evoke a sense of the uncanny, blending reality and imagination to examine human emotions, relationships, and identity. She uses the medium of collage to transform vintage photographs, infusing them with new meaning and context.

Philosophy and Style

Grycja's work is deeply inspired by her upbringing in the culturally rich city of Lviv, European aesthetics, and a rejection of Soviet-era cultural influences. Her style has been described as distinctly non-post-Soviet and instead leans toward a European approach, emphasising contrast, surrealism, and visual poetry. She sees her artistic journey as a balance between creating visual narratives and exploring uncharted areas of thought, often blending personal emotion with universal themes.

Publications and Media

Grycja's artworks and insights have been featured in prominent Ukrainian media outlets, including ArtUkraine and Galiський Кореспондент, where she has shared her philosophy on creativity and the importance of unrestrained artistic freedom. She is recognised internationally as a representative of Ukrainian contemporary art, included in lists of notable artists celebrated globally.

Artistic Contributions

  • Illustration and Books: Grycja is celebrated for her artistic contributions to Ukrainian publications, such as the creation of the iconic Lviv dialect alphabet book, Ґвара. She illustrated Kathryna Babkina, Mykola Gogol, Irena Karpa, Halyna Kruk, Iurii Sushsch, Yevheniia Kuznetsova, Oksana Shavarska and other ukrainian authors. Her illustrations explore themes of heritage and modernity, blending cultural elements with striking visual aesthetics.
  • Art Exhibitions: Her exhibitions often include multimedia elements and explore deep, often dark, emotional landscapes. Some notable series include Remember You Will Die, Superbirds Don't Fly, Poetry of Horror, Communication Disorder.
  • Music and Design: She has designed album covers and visuals for music groups, such as Perkalaba, TheVJO, GANNA and many others, adding a layer of narrative depth to their soundscapes.
  • Recognition: Known for her versatility and bold artistic choices, Grycja is part of Ukraine's top modern artists recognized internationally.

List of Exhibitions

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SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2023 // Family. Spase Meduza, Berlin

2014 // Dead Flowers. Bastion gallery, Ivano-Frankivsk

2011 // Downfall. Lab Combinat gallery, Kyiv

2007 // Females and Ovipositors. Exhibition on tour.

- Soska Gallery, Kharkiv

- Smoloskyp Gallery, Irpin

- Art Palace, Drogobych / prohibited by city administration

- Museum of Ideas, Lviv

- Shynok Gallery, Ternopil

- Hymera Gallery, Ivano-Frankivsk

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2005 Om, Lviv

2006 CCA, Kyiv

2007 Artvertep, Dnipro

2008 Hudgraf, Kyiv

2009 Cityslickers, Pretoria

2010 Mixed Prints, Haarlem

2010 Glybochytska 17 Artcentr, Kyiv

2012 Lodz Design Week

2013 Fanaberiya, Cherkasy

2014 Scherbenko Art Centre, Kyiv

2015 That I have Of A Woman, Kyiv

2015 Ridicule, Dymchuk Gallery, Kyiv

2015 Paper. World. Art, Kyiv

2015 Mist, Frankfurt/Oder

2016 Fresh Legs, Galleri Heike Arndt, Berlin

2016 Summer XXS. Berlin Blue Art, Berlin

2016 Opdagesler, Galleri Heike Arndt, Kettinge

2017 Pop-up Exhibition #1, The Ballery, Berlin

2017 Known/Unknown, Bialystok

2017 Gak, Barbakan, Kyiv

2017 Mini Prints, Galleri Heike Arndt, Berlin

2018 Stroke art fair, Galleri Heike Arndt, München

2019 Pink Exhibition, Gary Bowman Gallery, Lviv

2019 Once Upon a Water, Toronto Islands Artist Residency, Toronto

May 2022 / charity art exhibition Art With Ukraine at

Erika Fuchs Haus-Museum in Schwarzenbach an der Saale

May 2022 / charity auction for Ukraine at Museum Sytuki i Techniki Japonskiej Manggha, Krakow

May 2022 / charity auction for Ukraine at Gisela Freier Kunstraum Lichtenberg, Berlin

July 2022 / charity collage exhibition for Ukraine Genesis of Being at BEYOND.LIMITS, Berlin

October 2022 / Frankfurter Buchmesse

October 2022 / Cheltenham Literature Festival

April 2023 / Leipzig Buchmesse

May 2023 / Book=Life, Lublin

July 2023 / Book=Life, Lviv

July 2023 / Ukrainian Fashion Week, Berlin

July 2023 / Gisela Freier Kunstraum Lichtenberg, Berlin

November 2023 / Atelierhouse Prenzlauer Promenade, Berlin

October 2024 / Frankfurter Buchmesse / Book=Life / Frankfurt

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