MY ARTIST STATEMENT
Transmuting Darkness into Triumph Through Art
My paintings become narratives with wings and bandages, where bandages turn into canvases and the body of the painting is perceived as a living entity, adorned with wounds and scars depicted with realistic truthfulness. Utilizing plaster bandages and epoxy resin, I create texture and employ the painterly qualities of oil paint to complete the work.
Blood, as the material evidence of a wound, is always visible, while healing is a process, but is it ever possible? Could the wounded subject avoid the trauma? In my context, this refers to individuals forced to leave their homes and endure separation.
The post-traumatic universe in my works is dedicated to the surviving subjects: all these traces on the body of the painting are not the end; they are the acknowledgment of a new birth in separation.
They are, first and foremost, about the wounded and displaced identities. A wound does not destroy the subject and does not kill. It makes the subject alive: potentially more alive and self-aware than before.
What, then, is Darya’s position? My artistic representation, reminiscent of a nurse, embodies attention, care, and healing. An image present alongside those seeking consolation and possibly healing in art. Someone who mediates between the wounds, the wounded subjects, and third-party observers.
The paintings as a place of “non-enjoyment,” sincere speech without dominance, where the wounds of the addressee are acknowledged. Recognizing the traces of unsymbolized, unbearable trauma guides the subject. They are wounded but alive. Just like Belarus.
My art doesn't just exist; it breathes, it tells stories, it awakens.
My projects are aimed at the development and preservation of cultural heritage, the expansion and nurturing of ethics, trust, empathy, and humanity. I believe that through our creativity and self-expression, we can inspire change and honor the victims of injustice.
ABOUT ME
Darya Siamchuk, 33 years old, born in Grodno, Belarus.
Why "Cemra"? This Belarusian word translates as "darkness". In my conceptual art, I explore the dark and painful aspects of human nature. My aim is to confront the critical issues of our time and to discover a vivid, emotional mode of expression.
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 – Charity Auction for the Humanosh Foundation, Exhibition of works by Belarusian, Ukrainian, and Polish artists, Piękna Gallery, Warsaw, Poland
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