MUNTHE ART MONDAY: ANNA VERIKI
Please introduce yourself and tell us about what you do.
Vereshchaka Anna, the artist’s pseudonym Anna Veriki. Anna was born in the city of Chernihiv, Ukraine. Currently lives and works in Kyiv. The works are mainly on canvas, the artist works in various media, mainly painting and graphics.
The works are in the state collection of Ukraine in the fund of the National Art Gallery. Anna's paintings are in private collections in Ukraine, Austria, USA,
Poland, Czech Republic, Spain and Portugal.
Anna Vereshchaka focuses on depicting animals and the human body in combination with naive elements.
Anna explores the theme of primordiality.
“For me, primordiality is something at the beginning - basic settings, simple emotions. It is a state unburdened by circumstances. It is something that can be divided into black and white.”
For the artist, animalistic subjects represent sincerity. Anna portrays her naked body as an image of openness to the viewer - and importantly, she does not present it as a self-portrait.
“My nudity in the works is both literal and metaphorical. When an artist shows their work, they expose themselves to the viewer,” she says.
Anna works in monochrome, which emphasizes the narrative.
“I like to present an intermediate, expressive, raw thought - as if transferring an emotion directly onto the canvas,” the artist explains.
Anna is wearing our BRACHA TOP.
Can you name some other female (curators, gallery owners or women in the arts) that inspires you and explain why they do so?
I’m deeply inspired by artists whose lives and practices were shaped by resistance, historical pressure, and inner strength. Among them are Zhanna Kadyrova, Tetiana Yablonska, Alla Horska, and Käthe Kollwitz.
What connects them for me is not only their artistic language, but the intensity of their lived experience. Zhanna Kadyrova works with reality in a very direct way - her practice feels grounded, material, and uncompromising, especially in how it reflects contemporary Ukrainian context.
Tetiana Yablonska and Alla Horska both created within the Soviet system, which imposed strong ideological constraints. Despite this, their work carries a sense of внутренньої свободи (inner freedom) and dignity. Horska, in particular, represents for me a form of ethical courage - her life and tragic fate make her practice inseparable from her position as an artist.
Similarly, Käthe Kollwitz experienced personal and historical trauma, which deeply shaped her work. What I find especially powerful is her ability to translate pain, loss, and social struggle into a universal visual language that remains deeply human and empathetic.
They inspire me not only as artists, but as figures who navigated difficult realities without losing integrity - and whose work continues to carry emotional and moral weight.
What would you like people to notice in your artwork?
It’s important for me that every viewer can find something personal in my work. I don’t try to impose a single meaning or fixed interpretation.
As an artist, I intentionally leave space for different readings - a certain openness that allows people to connect with the work in their own way.
For me, the work feels complete when it doesn’t give all the answers, but creates a space where the viewer can reflect, feel, and project their own experience.
Could you explain more about how being a woman has affected your career?
I mostly became aware of this during my studies at the National Academy of Arts. That was the first environment where I clearly felt how gender can shape expectations and interactions.
However, in my professional life, I feel that age plays an even bigger role. I am quite young for the art community, and this often creates a certain distance -people tend to question authority or experience before engaging with the ideas themselves.
What has been the most challenging aspect of being a woman in the arts?
Being a young woman in the arts often means that your authority is questioned before your ideas are fully considered.
