Olvia by MARIA SHAPRANOVA

The Olvia series consists of six works. Each work is an analog collage made on a match box.

Olvia (Ольвія) was a Greek colony that existed during the 7th century BC in the territory of Ukraine, Mykolaiv region. The artist of these works also comes from the Mykolaiv region. The series is a reflection of the events of the last year, the path traveled from fears, hopes, aggression and manipulation of loved ones and, on the contrary, support and understanding, anxiety and despair, certainly in the context of a full-scale war. The series answers the questions: what do I feel? what does this mean for me? and seeks to establish a certain connection between the past, present and future. That is why the series is named in honor of the ancient city, of which only small particles remain, like scraps of paper. Olvia uses images of sculptures of women that show certain emotions. Fragments of paper and clay symbolize how a person experiences and lives emotions, seeks to assemble herself in pieces; some of them, like clay, can be flexible and harden, while some of them are fragile, like paper.

Some of the wooden matches in the box have already been lit. These matches were burned for a reason, they were used for domestic purposes, during mass power outages in Ukraine as a result of Russian terrorist actions. These matches lit candles and kitchen stoves in the darkest and coldest days. And at the same time, these burned matches embody those destroyed hopes, wasted time, lost nerve cells—the irreversible changes around and within themselves. Olvia translates from the ancient Greek language as "happy."

Materials: match boxes, paper, clippings from old magazines, acrylic, clay, glue. Sizes: 10x6 cm

Марія Шапранова (Maria Shapranova) is an artist, designer, and architect.

Shapranova was born in 1999 in the city of Mykolaiv. In 2006, she moved with her family to the city of Brovary, Kyiv region. Since childhood, she was fond of drawing and studied at an art school for children. In Brovary, she was engaged in social activities, was a member of the youth public organization. In 2020, she graduated from the National Aviation University in Kyiv, receiving a bachelor's degree in architecture. In 2022, Maria received a master's degree in architecture and urban planning. The first collages were made from old drawings, it was the beginning of rethinking her own creativity. In 2020, during the quarantine, she began to engage in collage more actively, the only way to give free rein to the emotions born as a result of the anticipation of irreversible changes in the world.

In 2021, the first group exhibitions took place (private galleries, Mystetskyi Arsenal). In 2021, she became a resident of the first contemporary collage studio in Ukraine, CUTOUT COLLAGE STUDIO. This is an artistic space in Kyiv, which promotes resident artists of the studio to the art market of Ukraine and the world. In 2022, group exhibitions were held in Poland, the UAE, Germany, Slovenia, Spain, as well as projects jointly with the Museum of History of Kyiv and the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide in Kyiv. Shapranova currently works in the field of architecture and design, and also conducts collage workshops.

Instagram: @mariashapr

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