Olga Krykun

Olga Krykun

"The underlying experience for Olga Krykuns generation is 'post-digital intimacy', which manifests itself in the artist’s work by balancing on the borderline between the offline and online worlds, at the intersection of which she tries to find something meaningful and authentic. She combines with ease elements of pagan or Eastern-Slavic mythology and ritualistic practice, which on a deeper level speak about shared values and cultural identity, with popular culture symbols and products.  What comes out of it is an excessive creativity and roughness that could be described as a form of feminist punk.” (jury statement)

Olga Krykun (1994) received her bachelor's degree from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (Studio of Supermedia) and pursued her master's degree in the Studio of Painting, which she received in 2021. Her thesis was nominated for the StartPoint Prize. During her studies she completed international internships at T.E.I. in Athens, The Department of Photography and Audiovisual Arts, Konstfack – University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm and National Taiwan University of Arts.  Olga Krykun uses diverse types of media in her art work, including mainly video, objects and painting, which she subsequently assembles to create complex installations. By combining elements of fictional narratives with references to real cultural and socially relevant symbols, she invents a self-contradicting mythology of our day-and-age. Her practice is strongly rooted in intuition, emotion and personal experience, the elements of which are approached with a distinct visual style and specific aesthetic, making her works reminiscent of surreal visions or a kind of dreamlike trance, resulting in a highly suggestive viewer experience. 

Krykun has so far presented her work mainly on the Czech independent gallery scene. She also exhibited her work abroad, e.g. at Šopa Gallery Košice (2020) Skala, Poznan (2022) or +DEDE, Berlin (2018) as well as within online art platforms – for example Remembering The Old World at soloshow.online

Olga Krykun: CJCH 2022 Profile

Video: Michal Blecha