Persona

 I am Iryna Gusiuk, and my art is an attempt to make sense of reality. I explore the boundaries of femininity, tearing apart established images. My paintings are a reflection of reality as I see it, a reality that many are afraid to acknowledge. I expose the painful wounds of war, the silent cries of women who lose their identities through the loss of children, careers, homes, and families — both on the battlefield and in everyday life.

Yes, my works can be sentimental, as I sometimes am. But every stroke and brush mark is an attempt to break through the stereotypes, the conventional notions of what a woman should be. My series "Black Fairy Tale" portrays women frozen in poses of helplessness, but their strength lies in survival, even though the word "SURVIVAL" evokes a storm of negative emotions in many. In "Magical Realism", I mock the conventional desires of the "princess," which, despite modern challenges, still live within many.

I use my art as an opportunity to reflect on stereotypes, on the visible and invisible chains that continue to restrict women. My art is not an escape from reality; it is a call to face it head-on and not turn away.

This is my reality. My war. And my dialogue with the world.