Olha Hrytsai

Olha Hrytsai is a self taught artist originally from Ukraine and currently based in Canada. Her practice explores intuitive figuration, expressive mark making, and the space between conscious intention and spontaneous gesture.

Hrytsai is particularly interested in the freedom of children’s drawing, where images emerge through instinct rather than through a predetermined narrative or concern for correctness. This openness becomes an important point of departure in her own practice. She begins with spontaneous lines, fragmented forms, and unexpected combinations, allowing the image to develop through a process of discovery rather than following a fixed composition.

Her paintings bring together recognizable figures, abstract elements, distorted forms, and loosely constructed spaces. Characters often appear simultaneously humorous, vulnerable, awkward, and enigmatic. Their exaggerated features and unusual relationships create a sense of an inner world that is not fully explained, but instead remains open to interpretation.

Rather than illustrating a specific story,Hrytsai is interested in capturing a state of thought and emotion as it takes shape. Accidental marks, unfinished forms, and visual contradictions are preserved as part of...