Interview
Bogdan Kanuka
Bogdan’s visual language is closest to minimalism. In art, he’s drawn to the simplest and cleanest forms, where the idea is expressed as clearly as possible through a symbol or sign. Right now, his main mediums are ceramics and linocut - they allow for experimentation and are not always predictable in their final result. Experimentation is also an important concept in his work. Bogdan wants to “reassemble” or “reinvent” traditional art forms like icon painting, engraving, and others. This process is full of trial and error, it’s thrilling and fully engrosses him. He often turns to animal imagery, though he wouldn’t call himself an animalist - rather, he finds it easier to express what truly concerns him through them. Sometimes, Bogdan uses zoomorphic characters as a set of signs or clichés, like the alphabet we’ve known since childhood. In ceramics, he’s attracted to the idea of abstraction - he often uses simplified forms, devoid of specifics, but easily recognizable. In general, art gives him the highest energy, regardless of how precisely he executes his vision.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I’m an artist from Russia, currently based in New York City in a research phase. I started with photography and graphic design, but over time I found my artistic core in printmaking - both as a medium and as a way of thinking. Today, I work primarily with linocut and ceramics, exploring the space between image and abstraction.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“My work doesn’t aim to comment on the outside world directly. Instead, it reflects the inner world - through signs, symbols, and structures. I often use animals not as characters, but as an alphabet of emotional states. My images don’t tell stories - they create spaces of presence, tension, and intuitive meaning.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“Usually, I start with a concept or a sketch - sometimes carefully prepared. But as I enter the process, I often reach a state of flow where the sketch no longer feels relevant. I follow the form, the rhythm, the physical act of making. That’s when the work becomes real - often stronger than the idea.”
“My images don’t tell stories - they create spaces of presence, tension, and intuitive meaning.”
Are there any art world trends you are following?
“I’m especially drawn to the resurgence of interest in printmaking as a serious, contemporary art form. A recent Art Newspaper article confirmed this shift: collectors and institutions are increasingly turning to prints. That reflects how I see this practice - not as secondary to painting, but as a field of invention and intensity. I follow artists who push printmaking beyond classic linearity, as I do myself, working at the intersection of linocut and painterly methods. I’m not interested in trends for the sake of trendiness.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“I work at the intersection of linocut and monotype. Instead of carving lines into linoleum, I use solid shapes - cut or torn from plastic or cardboard - and ink them with a roller. I don’t seek contours but bodily imprints. Sometimes, I tear cardboard by hand without sketches. The result is abstract yet readable - a printed gesture rather than an illustration.”
What does your art mean to you?
“It’s not a career, a method, or a statement - it’s a way of being in the moment. Art gives me access to an inner space, to meanings that can’t be translated into words. It’s a language I can speak without interpretation. At the same time, it’s a discipline. A daily ritual. Like breathing. It keeps my perception alive and helps me not to disappear in the noise of the world.”
What’s your favourite artwork and why?
“My references have shifted over time, but I’m still inspired by Picasso - for his figurative tension and graphic force - and by Matisse, for his color, collage-based structures, and astonishing lightness. Their work reminds me that power can live in simplicity.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“The exhibition ‘Diversity. Unity’ at the Tretyakov Gallery - especially works by Adrian Ghenie and Grayson Perry - left a strong impression on me. Also, ‘Laboratory of the Future: Kinetic Art in Russia’ revealed how art can be alive, multi-layered, and accessible at once. Right now, I’m in New York - in a research phase, gradually connecting with the local scene and building a new dialogue.”
