Anna Mykhalchuk
Artist of decorative folk Samchykivka art
Anna Mykhalchuk (b. 1986) is a Ukrainian Samchykivka artist. Originally from Kyiv, but she has been displaced during the war and has lived with her young family in Nipaluna/Hobart since March 2022.
Samchykivka art is a renowned decorative folk art from Ukraine, which uses colours, lines and shapes to depict various cultural stories, ideas, the natural world and living things. Anna’s practice aims to honour and continue this traditional artform, while finding avenues to infuse it with contemporary elements.
Anna’s Samchykivka pieces interweave Ukrainian and Australian cultural motifs always from a personal lens, capturing the essence of both her homeland and her new home here in Tasmania. Through vibrant depictions of flora and fauna, Anna's art evokes a sense of dynamic motion, inviting viewers to explore the stories within. By marrying movement, color, and cultural fusion, she continues to share her cultural traditions while simultaneously experimenting with its boundless limits. Samchykivka invites us to appreciate the interconnectedness and beauty of all things.
From the very beginning of her arrival in Australia, Anna began to take an active part in the artistic life of Australia:
Exhibitions:
(artwork title, exhibition name, Gallery name, location)
2024
Dance of the Colours, Moonah Arts Centre, Tasmania
Beautiful Ukraine, Space2B, Melbourne
2023
Dreamy Flight, ‘Little Treasures’, Agra Gallery, Melbourne
2022
Joyful Jumpings, ‘Artery Art on Show’, City Hall, Hobart
Flowering of Cornucopia, ‘Outside In Here’, Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart
Freedom to be yourself, ‘Message for peace’, Hunter Island Press, Hobart
Dance of the Dragon, ‘Ukrainian Talents of Australia 2022’, Ukrainian Hall, Sydney
Collaborations:
Forest Adventures - bilingual children book that combines Ukrainian folk art with
illustrations of Australian animals.
Contribution to this project: idea,
illustrations, poems.
Samchykivka Art Mural ‘Optimism’
Esteem Coffee, Hobart
Probably the first Samchykivka mural in the southern hemisphere. Created during First Multicultural Start-Up Program (run by Catholic Care & City Networks)
Mural ‘Melodie’ on the iconic A Piano of Tasmania
Mural was finished during the event ‘With Ukraine in Our Hearts’. People who attend
this event simultaneously can see live painting and listen to a live piano concert at the Parliament Laws, Hobart.
Contribution to this project: sketch, painting a mural.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpFHWt6Qbso
Media publications:
The Hobart Magazine (Feb 24 edition)
ABC Radio: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/hobart-sundays/tasmania-sundays/103402918