Interview with the Odessa artist who responds with paintings

(Apl315 Portrait. A. Roytburd Studio. Odessa. 2018.02.07. Photo - Ralph Roelse)

Odessa has always been a city where special talents are born and art is intertwined with the very rhythm of life. One of the most prominent representatives of the new art scene is APL315, an artist who grew up in the residential district of Tairova. His first “canvases” were unusual: the walls of houses and trash cans, on which he honed his vision of the world.

At some point, his work was noticed by Alexander Roitburd, Ukrainian contemporary artist and Director of the Odessa Fine Arts Museum (died in 2021), who was an iconic figure not only for Odessa but for Ukrainian culture as a whole. Their acquaintance was a turning point: it was Roitburd who introduced APL315 to the HUDPROMO gallery and its owner, Feliks Pustynin, as well as his friend and journalist Andrey Sheptunov.

This meeting led to the artist's first solo exhibition in 2011. The exhibition was a success, and since then APL315 has firmly established himself as one of Ukraine's most promising avant-garde artists. Since then, there have been new exhibitions, performances, and paintings, each of which has left a vivid mark on the cultural life of the country. 

Catacombs as an eternal theme

One of the key themes in APL315's work is the Odessa catacombs. This underground world is not only part of urban mythology, but also living history. During World War II, the catacombs served as a refuge for partisans, becoming a symbol of resistance and survival. Today, in the context of a new war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine, the theme of the catacombs takes on a special meaning once again: the shelters and darkness in which hope and the strength to resist are born resonate with the contemporary experience of Ukrainians.

Odessa's underground tunnels on the streets of Berlin

In 2023, APL315 brought the image of the Odessa catacombs to the streets of Berlin. His graffiti on Stargarder Str. 82 became a kind of “dialogue between the underground and the surface”: a selection of drawings by miners from the catacombs took on a new life in the European capital. This project is not only about memory and heritage, but also about the cultural bridge between Ukraine and the world. 

(Germany, Berlin, Stargarder Str 82. Acrylic Paint on Wall, 15x8m, 2023)

Interview without words

APL315 is an artist who is difficult to pigeonhole. We propose introducing him to a wider audience through an unusual format: an interview in which the artist will respond not with words, but with pictures.

Questions to which APL315 will give his “visual answers”:

1. How do you see your creativity? 

(Odessa, Ukraine 2007)

2. What are your thoughts on contemporary art?

("Middle Class". Independent. Mystetskyi Arsenal 2011. SUV Porsche Cayenne, Instant Noodles)

3. What role did Alexander Roitburd play in your life?

("Er#8". Acrylic paint over a printed Photoshop sketch by A. Roitburd. 20х30 см. 2016)

4. Which artists have influenced you?

(Odessa Catacombs. Drawings of Miners. 19-20 Century)

5. Your opinion on the place of art in today's world?

(Sadness, Odessa, Ukraine 2011)

6. What is your attitude toward love and relationships between men and women? 

("Lipci#7". Mix Media on Paper. 34x49. 2021)

7. What does Ukraine mean to you? 

("Ukraine 3.0". Nitro ink on Acrylic Canvas. 2x4m. 2022)

8. How do you perceive the war with Russia? 

("Minikollane#6". Ink on Paper, 38,5x56,5 cm. 2025)

9. Your attitude towards Odessa?

("Pgt #3". Mix Media on Wooden Panel, 50x86 cm, 2018)

10. What dream would you like to share?

(Instagram post 31.12.2022)

Biography and website

APL315 is not just an artist from Odessa, he is the voice of the underground and the streets, speaking through paint. APL315's creativity is like Odessa's Privoz market: you can wander around it for hours, marvel at the variety, smile at unexpected finds, and literally “swim” in the unique atmosphere of this pearl by the sea. We recommend that you “visit Odessa” too — if not physically, then at least virtually, through the art of APL315.

You can learn more about his work by viewing the artist's CV and official website: APL315.INFO.