there is a growing awareness that we live in times of rapid change and division contributing to the feeling of disorientation. i truly believe that art can provide a unique framework for people to exercise the skills required to contribute to a positive change towards a connected, exciting and fulfilling life. it can evoke a productively disruptive change by means of imagination and critical thinking.
along my artistic path i explored various mediums and forms of expression searching for strategies to evoke a productively disruptive change in the beholder. from photography, video, language and eventually installation and tapestry to eventually to a radical turn. expanding my toolbox and making a challenge and uncertainty part of my skill set. constant metamorphosis allows me to reflect upon the moment we live in and create a space where people can engage in a dialogue with themselves constantly recalibrating and repositioning to the new circumstances. art in my opinion is a great way to self actualize, practice questioning, relating and reflecting.
i fearlessly build places that exist between the imaginative and the real, using knowledge of the past, awareness of the present and responsibility towards the future. my building blocks are speculative models that force us to practice resilience and adaptation, honour diversity and inclusivity - qualities fundamental to contemporary existence and survival.
in the past 10 years i have build a continuous ever-changing practice with a strong focus on building complex multifaceted frameworks which include a transdisciplinary approach, intuitive and creative thinking, layered structure and aesthetic value. I can never foresee or know what my next project will be or where my curiosity will bring me but i most certainly know it will be somewhere unexpected, challenging and ambiguous - states that help me to navigate along the way.
over the years there have been multiple articles, interviews and reviews which relate to my practice in each of its manifestations. i find these reflections very important because they provide a wider view on my movements and developments. especially looking at them in the context of time is fulfilling, as one can trace my development and shifting fields of interest, which highlights the reflective/reactive character of my work. below you can find a small selection of sources which hopefully paint a bigger picture of my motivations, aspirations and triggers.
interview with rietveld society about how studies shaped my artistic practice and what eventually led to opening diptych - a culinary experience based on trust, a journey through ideas that manifest themselves in food.
article in het parool about the fearless and experimental nature of my two culinary platforms diptych and ludo & hedo.
interview by tique about my work and inspiration.
diptych serveert zeven gangen scheikundeles op je bord
article in het parool about the opening of my experimental platform for gastronomy - diptych.
is het kunst of een restaurant
review by nrc about the diptych experience exploring its boundaries between food and art.
voor chef en kunstenaar ola lanko is koken een eindeloos experiment
short documentary by vice that offers an opportunity to catch an insight into the values, daily operations and the atmosphere of diptych.
ola lanko en haar photogenic installations
interview with new dawn paper about my relationship with photography and my photogenic installations.
ola lanko x new window (podcast)
talk with new window radio about my relationship with being an artist, being a teacher at an art academy, my ukrainian background and inspiration mainly coming elsewhere than the art world.
conversation with hard//hoofd about the role of the artist and the necessity of art in western society.
stel, je gaat op een blind date met een gruwelijke foto
an article i wrote for de correspondent where i study the effect of gruesome images. after collecting, viewing and categorizing such photos, i tried to figure out what happens in the moment one first comes across a gruesome image.
