Tetiana Surshko: From Kyiv to Lisbon, a Palette of Resilience

Tetiana Surshko, a Ukrainian artist now based in Portugal, creates vibrant oil paintings using a palette knife, a technique she believes demands honesty and decisive gestures. Her work, deeply rooted in her childhood in Kyiv, reflects the city's golden domes, autumn chestnut leaves, and rivers at dusk, maintaining a stubborn brightness despite her relocation. Surshko's art explores themes of beauty, harmony, and the human experience, focusing on the elegance of women, architectural grace, and life's dynamism, offering viewers a sanctuary from aggression and depression. Her move to Portugal has infused her recent seascapes and cityscapes with the soft, golden light of the Atlantic coast and Lisbon's terracotta, azulejo blues, and pink skies. She is currently expanding two major series: The Feminine Form, large-scale expressive nudes, and a cycle of Atlantic seascapes inspired by daily coastal walks. The relocation of her paintings from Kyiv to Lisbon prompted reflection on their meaning as witnesses to her life. Her painting 'Neon Forest Dreams' exemplifies her practice, depicting a glowing, dreamlike night forest as a reminder of imagination's role in survival and childhood wonder. Through her art, Surshko aims to provide honest moments of peace and permission to experience something bright and sincere, bringing safety and vitality to any space.