Main image: Nastya Mane
Eighth interview through images by Andrew Sheptunov
Odessa — a city where the sea meets life, and life meets art. It is here that a bright and distinctive artist, Nastya Mane (Manetta), creates her world. Born and shaped in Odessa, she weaves personal experiences, reflections on love, responsibility, and emotional states into a visual language that is both accessible and magnetic. She studied at the Kostandi Art School (Grekovka) and under Volodymyr Novokavets. Today, she works in IT as a casual graphics artist (Multimedia Generalist).
Her works are not just paintings — they are invitations to a dialogue about what we feel and who we are.
At her retrospective exhibition “Again About Love?”, the artist noted that love is no longer just passion or drama — it becomes “depth, silence, honesty, and the ability to stay with oneself.”
Artistic style: Casual Pop Art with elements of psychoanalysis
Nastya Mane positions herself as an artist working in the direction of casual pop art, with influences from neo-cubism, expressionism, and symbolism, which speaks to an informal, accessible, sometimes playful, yet serious approach to visual imagery.
Her style is marked by several distinct features:
- A vivid and expressive color palette, instantly drawing attention and setting an emotional tone.
- A balance between abstraction and recognizable forms: figures, symbols, and metaphors intertwine, allowing the viewer to both see a story and feel a state of mind.
- A focus on inner states: for instance, in the series “The Horsemen of the Apocalypse”, the artist explores concepts such as vanity, self-deception, procrastination, greed, envy, manipulation, the illusion of choice, and shifting responsibility, which ultimately results in the painting “Love.”
- The use of various techniques — from acrylics and watercolor to graphic and illustrative work — emphasizing flexibility and experimentation.
Thus, the art of Nastya Mane is more than just “a picture.” It is a visual story — easy to perceive yet rich in meaning. The casual nature of her arts makes her paintings approachable, while the conceptual depth encourages reflection.
In Our Regular Section — The Artist Answers with Paintings:
1. What does silence look like when you’re finally alone with yourself?
2. Your feelings about the war in Ukraine?
3. What shape does love take when you remove passion and leave only acceptance?
4. What face does responsibility have — to yourself, to others, to time?
5. What do you feel when vanity prevails over sincerity?
6. How would you express your feelings toward Odessa?
7. How would a mirror look in which everyone sees only their own truth?
8. If you could paint the word “freedom,” what would it look like?
9. How do you see the moment of reconciliation — with yourself, your past, or others?
10. What do you see when you look at someone you love — through the eyes of an artist?
11. What happens to the body and soul when art becomes a confession?
12. What does it mean “to be alive” — in color, in motion, in emptiness?
Conclusion
Nastya Mane is a distinctive Odessa artist who builds her world through the lens of casual pop art. From canvases to city walls, from gallery exhibitions to the door of her own balcony — she paints everywhere, and everywhere it’s beautiful in its own way.
Her art is deeply tied to Odesa. Nastya has participated in projects dedicated to iconic city artists — creating murals in memory of Oleksandr Roytburd, taking part in exhibitions honoring Dmytro Dulfan, and addressing social and political themes. One of her most notable works is a 50 m² mural at the Katran Yacht Club, dedicated to the children who blockaded Abramovich’s yacht.
Different, sincere, and bold — Nastya Mane remains an artist unafraid to speak with paint about what others stay silent. To get to know her better, just step into her world — through her social media or one of her exhibitions in Odessa.
📍 Facebook — Nastya Mane
📍 Instagram — @nastya_mane
