Existential Vulnerability: Olia Breva

Fictional Landscapes, a groundbreaking exhibition recently showcased the works of 28 women artists, including Olivia’s work, across five galleries in Dubai at Foundry Downtown Dubai.

She discovered her artistic vision in her early childhood. At eight, she started her studies in an art club where one of her works was selected for an exhibition in Japan. She later entered an art school, successfully finishing six years later. Despite her calling for the art sphere, Olia got a Master’s Degree in Economics. Yet her innate passion has always pulled her back to the artist pathway: Olia continued mastering her creative skills in the studios of academic artists, taking classes and practicing. She tries various formats: painting, graphics, interior design, and architectural solutions. She constantly evolves as an artist, believing self-development is essential for all creative professions. You can see her as an artist whose life is tightly connected with art, with a thirst for self-expression and a constant search for forms and meanings.

Artists construct their mythology — a personal coordinate system that reveals their emotions, experiences, circumstances, and ideas. For Breva, this mythology explores existential vulnerability, a profound theme in 20th and 21st-century philosophy. Her work spans the Expressionist movement, from Abstract Expressionism to Expressionistic Realism and Action Painting, allowing her to interpret the full range of human emotion, from joy to trauma, often touching the unconscious. Her art offers a unique experience for each viewer, evoking deep feelings and raising questions. Her pieces can serve as emotional therapy, providing a boundless field for personal reflection and insight, resonating with timeless relevance.

What’s your earliest memory of creating art?

My first artwork was doubted in authorship; I was seven years old. The educator decided that my parents had done the work for me. After this incident, my parents decided to enroll me in an art studio, and six months later, my artwork went to an exhibition in Japan.

If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?

This contemplation isn’t quick; I love many artists, and my soul resonates deeply with their world vision. Among the significant artists who have contributed to my creativity are Mikhail Nesterov, Nikolai Ge, Mikhail Vrubel, Edvard Munch, and Camille Pissarro. Just to see, hear, and observe them would be a great joy.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever used as a medium/tool/platform in your artwork?

I use everything for palettes—from shoe boxes to yogurt lids. I mix paint on these. Once, I didn’t have paper or canvas, so I painted a dragon on a box of children’s sneakers; it’s still stored in the garage.

How do you come up with the titles for your pieces?

Creating titles for my works is an essential process for me. I give everything a name, including paintings. It’s a creative, poetic process. The title must reflect the profound essence of the work or my reflections during its creation.

What’s the most unusual source of inspiration you’ve ever had?

Some unusual states of the body generate new creative stories. For example, after swimming underwater for a long time, as I emerged, speaking images began to form before my eyes, and I immediately wanted to transfer them to canvas.

If you could only use three colors/instruments/ software for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

Colors, of course; life without creating color is not my story.

What piece of art do you take the most pride in and why?

I take pride in those that help people and make their lives easier and happier.

Do you have any quirky rituals or habits when you’re in your creative zone?

If I come to work without creative energy, I turn to intellectual musical pieces and divine energy for help.

If your art had a soundtrack, what would be the top three songs on it?

It would be world ethnic and classical music - in their finest expressions.

What’s your favorite art-related joke or pun?

A joke about modern art:- Is this your painting? Did you create it? - Yes, I did.- Is that how you see things?- No, that’s just how I can do it.

How do you deal with creative blocks?

I seek new emotions in nature, masterpieces of music, and art.

What’s the most memorable reaction someone has had to your work?

In Gyumri (Armenia), the city of my ancestors, where my exhibition took place, a visiting writer saw the series “Hands,” approached me, and said, “These hands speak; I want to write a book about you.”

If you could turn any book into a piece of art, which one would it be?

I would be inquisitive to see Ernest Hemingway’s novel “For Whom the Bell Tolls” depicted in a painting.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to artificial intelligence aspiring to replace artists?

Don’t try to understand the human soul.

What would you be doing if you weren’t an artist?

I would find another creative profession where I could express myself through color and form.

What’s the strangest place you’ve ever found inspiration for a piece?

On board an airplane.

Can you describe your art in three words?

Love, Soul, World. In that order.

What’s your favorite part about the process of creating art?

The process itself.

If you could have your artwork displayed anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I like Art Basel.

What’s one thing people would be surprised to learn about you as an artist?

The most surprising things about me can be discovered in my paintings—the multifaceted nature of my soul.