Interview
Oleg Vecheria
Oleg Vecheria (aka Oleg Soul) is an award-winning Russian painter, photographer, and sculptor based in Germany whose works have been featured in solo and group exhibitions in Indonesia, Turkey & Italy and will be exhibited in Germany & USA. Through his art, he endeavors to convey how he experiences the universe, as well as the harmony between humanity and nature. Vecheria believes that since we are all unique and part of a vast universe, “we should our dreams come true.” Oleg is a member of International Federation of Artists and created Artist’s Union of Russia. He is a member of Through his art, he endeavors to convey how he experiences the universe, as well as the harmony between humanity and nature. In Bali, he did an art exhibition and started his international career as an artist. From 2012 until now he is traveling with his wife and 2 dogs and cat around the world and make his art. He currently lives in Germany.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I describe myself as a child of five moons. I was born in 1985 in small city of Novorossiysk on the shore of Black Sea. From 8 until 13 years old, I was in Art school where i started my art and understood what I wanted to do for all my life. The painting follows me for all my life. After 13, I started to be a different teenager - I went to boxing class, started spent more times with my friends, met my first love and started to be a “normal” like it was in Russia of those year by all social lifestyle. In 2002, I graduated school and in 2002 I started to be a student of Novorossiysk State Marityme Academy, it was crazy young years! In 2007, I graduated academy and got Master degree of Economics. From 2007 until 2012, was the worth years of my life, without art just earn money and started to lose my life, my reality and my main goal and aim to be free to open myself to be creative to show to the people my real feeling to be part of big universe to be in a moment to be happy to show difference and to be different. From 2012, I wanted to out from my past reality and to back to myself and I did it. In 2012, I moved to Bali Island to started my new life. In Bali, I started to drawing and painting again, there I started to feel myself again, there I understood what for me the most important and art shew to me all. On Bali Island, I met my muse, my love, my wife there, we have been living there for 5 years, during the big journey we lived too on Philippines Island, Shri Lanka, traveled around Asia and explored the world.”
What inspires you?
“My biggest muse is my wife, our traveling lifestyle inspires me a lot, different countries give to me different emotions. Sometimes, we are together, sometimes we lives separately and all this situations gives to me different emotions to create my art. One of my favorite inspiration is our nature, I always try to connect myself to our planet, touch the trees, swim into the ocean ocean, touch the earth, burn the fire. For me our universe the biggest part of my art.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“Through my art, I try to convey how I perceives the universe, as well as the harmony between man and nature. I believe that since we are all unique and part of a vast universe, "our dreams should come true." In my paintings, photographs and sculptures, I show to people how i feel the universe, how people can communicate with nature, how they can feel in harmony and wholeness, accepting themselves and the world around without social condemnation, without racial pressure, without gender division, in my works I show to everyone real emotions and feelings without fear of being, I do not want to show problems in society, i want people to begin to feel and hear themselves. We are all unique, we are all part of a vast universe, we all need to make our dreams come true, live and enjoy life.”
“We are all unique, we are all part of a vast universe, we all need to make our dreams come true, live and enjoy life.”
How would you describe your work?
“I create an images from my personality, the people around me in my world and in the world of dreams, both externally and internally, i use my psychological portrait, iI draw an inspiration from nature, its various forms, textures of flora and fauna. One of the most significant Muses in my life is my wife, she inspires me and supports me at different stages of life. As we are traveling a lot around the world, I got experiences different emotions with my family and away from them. From these emotions, new and unique works of art are born. In my works, I show movement, but at the same time, the moment freezes, reveals deep emotions in people, playing with imagination and showing people their innermost possibilities, and in spite of everything, everything remains alive and everything is possible.”
What is your creative process like?
“Sometimes, first I get an idea and then I start my sketching or make a photography and after most of the time it’s painting process where I add more effects and ideas without any plan, my paintings follow me the all way. Sometimes, I don’t have any idea, it’s completely pure emotions when I create art, and most of the time I dint know the final result. I use different techniques and mix different materials, experimenting and using different varnishes, pencils, charcoal, oils, acrylics, sprays on one canvas to achieve more interesting effects, he believes that all materials are combined with each other and can be perfect and balanced. I also inspires form my inner psychology practice where I try to find my energy and try to listen myself to create something interesting and unusual. On my paintings, I use the different techniques different brushes and pallet knifes, and my hands. I mix different mediums like varnishes, pencils, charcoal, oil, acrylic painting in one canvas to more visible effects and to show that all material combined with each other and could be perfect and balanced. I try to show the movement and at the same time the hold moment but still alive. On sculptures, I use metal gypsum acrylic charcoal varnishes. Every time I try to develop myself, to listen myself more, to open my imagination to create unique art, I try to use different techniques always and combined different materials. After each painting, I make another one with more unique and interesting effect to describe all my emotions and condition to show to world myself and to say to the people my philosophy.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“I guess the artist the one of the leading person in the world. Because only artists can say and show all pure emotions, through the art people can understand themself and there reality more the all social media. Arts are endless.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“My recent prizes won include” Art Vue Foundation Yearly Prize (2023); Nominated- Brussels, Belgium (2022); Nominated- Brussels, Belgium (2022); among others and my recent group exhibitions include: “Spectrum Miami” Art Tour and Art Biennale online feature “Primo Tour Biennale degli USA” USA TOUR BIENNIAL / Spektrum Miami – Miami, United States (2023);Art Tour and Art Biennale online “Primo Tour Biennale degli USA online feature ” USA TOUR BIENNIAL / Washington art Biennale Holiday Inn Capitol Hotel – Washington, United States (2023); among others. My publications include:USA Tour Biennial 23/24 1st Art Catalog “Washington” by Fondazione Effetto Arte, Italy, Palermo (2023); Bruxelles Art Vue- Art Vue Foundation (2022); Yearly Prize – Painting category catalogue (2022); among others. My solo exhibitions include: Personal painting exhibition “Goddess of Dreams” by ‘Emotion Art’ Oleg Vecheria / Bali, Indonesia – Canggu, Indonesia (2016) and Personal painting exhibition by ‘Emotion Art’ Oleg Vecheria / Bali, Indonesia – Seminyak, Indonesia (2015).”
Instagram: @olegsoul_art
