Zhanna Tsytsyn

Zhanna Tsytsyn is an indigenous Siberian artist (currently based in the Pacific Northwest), whose work utilizes a variety of techniques, including oil, collected earth, oil sticks, raw pigment, and sand to create intensely textured paintings and sculptures. Rooted in Ecosomatics and inspired by nature, music, the body, and mysticism, Tsytsyn creates surreal, metaphysical, abstract landscapes and figurative works that reflect in the natural world our own inner landscape. Influenced by the history of immigration, shamanic teachings, and the cycles of the natural world, Tsytsyn’s work excavates the inner dimension to discover an existence where one’s sovereignty is in the here and now, sprung from the land itself, all connected as one.


https://www.zhannatsytsyn.com/

Can you describe the core themes and emotions you explore in your current body of work?

I have always been interested in biology and ecology. My work is deeply rooted in Ecosomatics, a social movement aimed at a philosophical shift based on the belief that humans must radically change their relationship to nature—from one that values nature solely for its usefulness to human beings, to one that recognizes that nature has inherent value. Recognizing our personal body as inextricable from the planetary body.

The rhythm and pattern in nature are mirrored in our own bodies. I do all I can to prevent my landscapes from becoming backdrops, using various perspectives to avoid a clear foreground where humans can claim dominance. The figures are immersed in the land, reflecting in the natural world our own inner landscape. With rhythmic motifs in body and nature, I aim to reflect our shared humanity and connection to the universe. My figures represent inner reflections and dreamscapes, influenced by my personal history of immigration, shamanic teachings, music, and the cycles of nature. Through my artwork, I seek to uncover inner dimensions to discover an existence where one’s sovereignty is in the here and now, sprung from the land itself, all connected as one.


How does your creative process unfold from concept to completion?

The works are dreamy, sensual worlds, lush with life. I paint on canvas using raw pigments, oil sticks, collected earth, and oil paint. The initial sketches that the paintings are based on are made en plein air using pastels or pencils. They are made not just from observation but from experiencing the world using all five senses, reinterpreting through my subconscious and tapping into the knowing of the body, the intuitive gut, and the energy of the space.


What inspires you most outside of the visual arts, and how does it influence your work?

Nature, philosophy, psychology, and music are continuous inspirations. Being a violinist and immigrating to America at the age of 9 without any language skills, music allowed me to connect with anyone. I see music as a universal language which is understood by the body—much like nature.

The history of philosophy and the ideas that shaped our understanding to create civilizations as we know them today are very interesting to me. From folklore, mythology, and religion to our understanding of psychology and how deep indoctrinations built on fear, guilt, and shame go. They all influence my work because, throughout history, we have witnessed the human capacity to change and that gives me hope.


How do you navigate the balance between personal expression and the commercial aspects of your career?

For an artwork to be whole, creating work in the studio is only half of it. The other half is for others to experience the work and respond to it. I see commercial aspects of my art practice as acts of reciprocity—a mutually beneficial exchange. It’s paramount. The balance lies in creating honest, truthful work, and those who resonate with it will gravitate to it. That’s the job.


What message or feeling do you hope viewers take away from experiencing your art?

I see my paintings as proposals for a world that could be. I paint humans as physically and psychologically intertwined with their environment so that one cannot differentiate between them. To destroy the land is to destroy ourselves. We are nature. We are water, earth, fire, and air. We are cells, microbes, and bacteria. Our body is part of the global ecosystem. The ecology of our body is part of the ecology of earth.