Artist Interview - Natali Agryzkova
North Americans can’t begin to imagine life under invasion or forced emigration. What has happened to you?
The sound of war is the most terrifying thing a person can hear. I witnessed the outbreak of war while I was in the hospital with my daughter—she had fallen seriously ill and was in intensive care. Around 4:30 a.m., the hospital was shaken by loud explosions and the roar of airplanes overhead.
Natali Agrzykova
Everyone started calling loved ones, trying to understand what was happening, since there was nothing yet on the news. Only by six in the morning was it officially announced: war had begun. It was chaotic, frightening, and heartbreaking. Nothing can prepare you for that moment.
After we spent two weeks sheltering in the basement—Mykolaiv was heavily bombarded in the first year—my husband insisted that I take the children to friends of ours in
Hamburg. I am deeply grateful to that family for helping us during those first difficult months. And of course, I’m thankful to Germany for supporting us with language courses, help finding housing and work, and providing both financial and social assistance.
Let's start at the beginning. What kind of kid were you? Early artist? Class clown? Serious achiever?
I was born in the southern city of Mykolaiv, and I’ve always been a child of the sun, naturally drawn to creativity. At school, I constantly created visual presentations, drew endlessly, played sports, and read art books. There’s even a note in my school records that I spent more time reading than studying actual subjects.
Very few of us had "artist-photographer" as an original career destination. What was your original plan? How did all that change?
My life has been full of twists and changes. I deeply regret not standing firm in my decision to pursue an artistic career—I ended up studying economics instead. I worked in government administration, later opened a clothing store, and even led pole sport classes as a coach. I explored many directions, but after the birth of my second child, I started to delve into photography. I started using the camera to capture everyday life—my children, our family moments, simple memories from a mother’s perspective. Then I began doing commercial shoots, mostly portraits of women.
The turning point came when I began studying conceptual and art photography with Sergey Melnitchenko. That experience opened up an entire universe of artistic discovery for me. Melnitchenko is a truly brilliant person
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