MY ARTIST STATEMENTTRANSMUTING DARKNESS INTO TRIUMPH THROUGH ART
Through my art, I transform the darkness of our days into triumph. My paintings become stories with wings and bandages, where bandages turn into canvas, and the body of the painting is perceived as something alive, with wounds and scars, depicted with realistic truthfulness. "Cemra" is a Belarusian word that means "darkness". In my art, I explore the darker, painful aspects of human nature, transforming them into beauty. Using plaster bandages and epoxy resin, I create texture, and I employ the painterly qualities of oil paint to bring the work to completion.
The style of my painting is reminiscent of classical works, but the form, ideas, and materials represent contemporary art, blending with sculpture and evoking equal measures of astonishment and emotion.
My artistic self-expression, infused with my cultural roots, connects the past with the present while preserving elements of national self-identity. My art doesn't just exist; it breathes, it tells stories, it awakens.
I am driven by the belief that through our creativity and self-expression, we are capable of inspiring change and paying tribute to the victims of injustice. My projects are aimed at the development and preservation of cultural heritage, the expansion and nurturing of ethics, trust, empathy, and humanity.
ABOUT ME
Darya Siamchuk, 32 years old. Born in Grodno, Belarus.
Cemra is a Belarusian word which means darkness. Why Сemra? I delve into the dark and painful side of human nature through my conceptual art. With my work, I aim to address the pressing issues of modernity and find a vivid and emotional way of expression. My commitment to using my art as a means of addressing important social and political issues stems from a desire to make a difference. I am guided by a belief that, through our creativity and self-expression, we have the power to inspire change and pay tribute to the victims of injustice.
Solo exhibitions
2023 – LAZARET, Beseder Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic
2023 – LAZARET, Museum of Free Belarus, Warsaw, Poland
2021 – AESTHETIC PAIN, A&V Art Gallery, Minsk, Belarus
2020 – CEMRA, Art-Belarus Gallery, Minsk, Belarus
Group exhibitions
2023 – Where am I. Exhibition of contemporary Belarusian art, Montenegro European Art Community Gallery, Budva, Montenegro
2023 – Who Owns the Land: Art as agent of expression conflict, statelessness, diaspora, coloniality, THE PINNA Gallery, exhibition online, London, England
2021 – The Autumn Salon, National gallery Palace of Arts, Minsk, Belarus
2020 – Art-Minsk the international art festival, National gallery Palace of Arts, Minsk, Belarus
2019 – The Autumn Salon, National gallery Palace of Arts, Minsk, Belarus
2019 – Triennial of Young Artists, National gallery Palace of Arts, Minsk, Belarus