ABOUT ANTONINA
ARTIST STATEMENT
I view my artwork as an experimental process, working with subtle energy as expressed on canvas through colour and composition.
My process begins by selecting a colour scheme, then a conversation between me and the mediums unfolds. I may start with a pre-planned idea but most often I am led by my intuition as dictated by the moment. Such a process may appear chaotic, but the non-linearity of my art-making contributes to the abstract expression of my pieces. I view this intuitive approach to my art as the act of channeling.
After selecting the colour scheme I begin to layer the inks on a flat surface. The ink itself is very fluid and leaves little to be controlled by my hands. I use a fan to blow the paint around, but for the most part I do not touch the ink nor the canvas during this process. There is a certain level of autonomy that I give to the paints, a call and response that requires careful attunement to the inks’ motion that I see as part of that conversation between me and my art.
In a broader sense my art making is an exercise in presence. The process IS the art; the journey is what informs the aesthetic of the piece. My awareness and my attention is the inks themselves. There is a living consciousness breathed into every piece.
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BACKGROUND
Antonina Ananda is an abstract painter who lives and works in Vancouver, BC, Canada. She received her BFA from
Emily Carr University in 2019.
She was born in Russia and immigrated to Canada as a child. She has travelled and lived in parts of SE Asia, as well as, Western Europe, studying at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. She takes an interest in world religions and philosophies. Being involved in the
Yoga community and previously working as a yoga teacher, she is highly influenced by Vedic Culture from India. Even though her artwork, being abstract, does not portray Vedic influence directly, the influence is often found in the process and the name of the artworks.