Main image: “The Road. The Road Home - or Nowhere - or From Home,” oil on canvas, 130×90 cm
Sixth interview through images by Andriy Sheptunov
She grew up between color and image — and eventually became an image herself. Born in 1972 in Potsdam, Lera Fokina was shaped as an artist in Odessa, where she graduated from the Grekov Art College (1993) and later studied at the International Academy of Arts. Over the years, Lera has become more than a painter — she is a multifaceted artist whose practice includes painting, photography, installations, and subtle performance gestures.
Her art is always a balance of passion and nuance. Fokina’s works are vivid, at times theatrical, occasionally provocative — yet always filled with a deeply personal impulse.
After analyzing her style, we came to the conclusion that Lera Fokina’s work organically belongs to the realm of Pop Art. Her paintings reveal an ironic view of everyday life, expressive color palettes, and simplified yet emotionally charged forms — echoing the traditions of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Richard Hamilton.
Pop Art has always sought to blur the lines between “high” and “mass” culture, transforming the ordinary into the symbolic. For Fokina, this manifests through the fearless blending of personal imagery, glamorous irony, and a sensual plasticity of color and form — where every detail feels like a quote from modern life. Her painting doesn’t merely speak the language of Pop Art — it lives in it, adding to the style a distinctly feminine, emotional, and sincere voice.
As Odessa Times once noted, Lera’s life itself equals her art — her public persona, often seen with a cigarette, in vivid outfits, at nightclubs, is as expressive as her brushstrokes. But her paintings do more than mirror that image — they feed from it, transform it, and turn it inward.
The theme of this interview is not words, but visuality. We invited Lera to respond through her own paintings — to let her canvases speak for themselves. Through these visual “answers,” the viewer can glimpse her reflections on contemporary art, her feelings for Ukraine, and her view of her own image — that ever-present extension of her artistry.
1. Which of your paintings best captures the taste of life — the reason you create?
2. Is there a work where you most clearly feel silence or calm — despite your usual emotional vividness?
3. Which painting marked a turning point — when you felt you had reached a new level as an artist?
4. Which painting feels closest to your childhood or personal memories?
5. Which of your works best reflects Odessa — the city you feel and love?
6. Is there a painting you would call a dialogue with yourself — and what is that conversation about?
7. Which of your works was born from pure impulse — not thought or plan — just a need to let something out?
8. Is there a painting you hesitated to show the audience — and why?
9. Is there a work where you most deeply feel Ukraine — not as a country, but as a state of soul, pain, tenderness, or faith?
10. Which of your works feels like a confession — or forgiveness?
11. Your image is always recognizable — even theatrical. Is there a painting where you feel that your image itself became part of the art, a continuation of the canvas?
12. Which painting or series would you call the manifesto or visiting card of your soul — what would it look like?
Today, we’ve met a truly distinctive personality and artist — Lera Fokina. To explore more of her art and inner world, follow her social media links below.
Lera Fokina's:
