Interview with Ganna Ki
 

galerie probst (gp): How does your perspective as a woman influence your artistic practice, and are there specific themes related to gender, identity, or empowerment that emerge in your work?

 

Ganna Ki (GK): Being a woman artist for me means trusting my inner wisdom, being uncompromisingly intuitive, less rational, and more emotional. For me, feminine energy is spontaneous, chaotic, playful, deeply connected with nature and the elements. She is the Great Mother but also the first wife of Adam, Lilith, a free wild spirit, whom the church named the devil’s mother for refusing to be on the bottom. When I am working on a painting, sculpture, or writing choreography for my performance—any piece of art—I fully surrender into that dream world of dark feminine, into the Shadow, the collective unconscious, and let the wisdom of the Great Goddess freely run through me. I don't actively influence the creative process. I never know what she will show me, which Goddess will appear, which myth, which archetype. It’s like watching a daydream, self-hypnosis, altered states of consciousness. The work creates itself. I am just deeply present, in wonder and curiosity, waiting for the work to say, hello, I am ready. I let the Goddess speak through me. She has so much to say—she was silent for so long, repressed, violated, controlled by patriarchy.

I’m fascinated by the mythology of ancient civilizations, indigenous shamanism, and esoteric mysticism and how these wisdoms interconnect with each other in different religions.

The Divine Feminine, Great Goddess, and Nature play a central role in my work. By recreating ancient archetypes like Berehynia, Guardian Spirit of the forest from 14th–15th century pagan Ukraine, I am reconnecting to the roots and traditions of my people, for purpose and strength, tapping into true Nature. Nature is my greatest teacher, source of inspiration—fabulous, magical, and mysterious. In my ritualistic Earth performances, I use my body to create an earth sculpture, a silhouette of Berehynia, daughter of Bhumi, Mother Earth, emerging from the womb of the Earth, inspired by American-Cuban artist Ana Mendieta. The juxtaposition of Fire and Earth brings Berehynia to life, releasing the Goddess, invoking the primordial dance of birth, death, and rebirth.

 

 

 

gp: How did you get into art, and what initially inspired you?

 

GK: I am a dreamer. I was born an artist. I started to paint before I started to walk. I was on stage since I was 12, playing in school theatre, had a band where I was a singer at 15 with my twin brother, was selected as captain of the school comedy club for two years, and started to dance in a show ballet at 16. I was teaching other children arts. I was never taught how to do any of that, I didn’t attend any classes—I am a self-taught artist.

My family in the '90s, with four children, was just surviving. Sometimes we didn’t have money for food, so there was no budget for any paid arts classes. But I had a great cultural producer at school. We were an artistic group, always creating. My mother was a seamstress, and my stepfather a civil engineer. They were very skilled in crafts, and I learned a lot from them too.

 

 

 

gp: Have you experienced any particular challenges as a woman in the art world? If so, what helped you to overcome them?

 

GK: As a woman, it is more difficult to be taken seriously. When I was living in Düsseldorf for ten years, I was not accepted or supported by the male-driven art scene—especially since I didn’t belong to any art school. At that time, I was studying Media and Cultural Studies at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf.

It was a big challenge to find a place to take part in exhibitions or to get a studio space. Male artists there mostly supported other male artists. I was often offered helper positions—to do online marketing or assist in studios. But I connected with an art collective in Halle3 Boui Boui Bilk, where there was a mix of artists, designers, and photographers, and I spent some time there. I also collaborated on projects as an actress and dancer with EXC collective Papier & Gelb Verlag, assisted in the studio of Maxim Wakultchik, and did my internship at the state gallery Alte Post with Klaus Richter.

After finishing my studies, I moved to Berlin, where my artistic career started to blossom because of the incredible female energy in the city. I finally felt seen for who I am. I received a lot of support from female-led galleries like Probst, SLP, Lite Haus Gallery, Chrom Art, female curators, male and queer artists, as well as art ecology communities like Lios Labs and Agronauts Collective. Berlin became a true home for me and my artistic journey, and I’m very grateful for it.

 

 

 

gp: Are there any female artists—past or present—who have inspired your career, and what influence have they had on your work?

 

GK: The work and lives of Artemisia Gentileschi, Marina Abramović, Pina Bausch, Ana Mendieta, Frida Kahlo, Louise Bourgeois, Pussy Riot, Guerrilla Girls, Judy Chicago, Niki de Saint Phalle, Amy Sherald, Yayoi Kusama, Ithell Colquhoun, Yoko Ono, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Leonora Carrington fascinate me.

Listening to their stories, learning about their life journeys, their pain, courage, and challenges as female artists has given me strength and inspiration. I learn from them, I feel their energy, I am very connected to them and their vision, and I am incredibly grateful for their work.

Marina Abramović has probably had the greatest influence on my work. In 2017, I was going through a deep transformation, and I met Marina in Kyiv when she was giving a public lecture for artists accompanying her exhibition Fragile State at Pinchuk Art Centre. This encounter changed my perspective on myself as an artist. She said, If you are an artist, there is no second answer to the question of who you are. Her uncompromising approach to performance art—making her audience elevate their state of consciousness and literally transform in her presence—is magical.

 

 

 

gp: What advice would you give to aspiring female artists finding their way in the art world today, and what changes would you like to see for women in the arts in the coming years?

 

GK: Trust yourself and your unique vision. Work a lot, be playful, and explore your divine feminine nature. Connect with queer artist communities and get involved in art and ecology projects—this way, many new doors will open.

Nothing is more inspiring than collaborating with other female artists. It speeds up the evolution of your own work and vision and provides great support. Invest in your education, take classes, ask questions, do courses for artists, and read about great female artists. It will give you more confidence and help you find new approaches in developing your projects.

And don’t be afraid to show your work to curators and galleries. Apply for open calls, go to openings, and connect with people. Being active and visible in the art scene is crucial.

 

 

 

gp: What developments in the art scene regarding gender equality would you like to see in the future? What challenges do you think women in the art world still face?

 

GK: Women have been historically excluded from professional art and education. Only with the feminist art movements of the '60s and '70s did we begin to challenge gender inequality. The biggest collections in museums still consist of male artists. The first retrospective of a woman artist at MoMA was Georgia O’Keeffe. The first woman exhibited at Brighton Museum was only in 2020.

I want to see more female voices in the arts and more opportunities for female and queer artists to develop professional careers in art.

 

 

 

gp: How do you perceive the current state of the art market, and are there any trends that influence your artistic direction?

 

GK: I am currently traveling in Latin America—Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Mexico. Everywhere I go, I see many female artists working with themes of healing post-trauma, community, nature, and the elements. Spiritual art is a big trend. It doesn’t matter whether it’s painting, mural, sculpture, or dance performance—the biggest trend in female art is a connection to the Great Cosmic Mother, divine feminine, healing, and transformation.