The artist Ana Kuni was born in USSR during the communist regime. In her early memories long queues for food feature strongly, but she has happy memories too: playing on the beach during hot summers, having the freedom to explore her immediate environment and the necessity of using one’s imagination as entertainment.

It was during childhood that the USSR collapsed and her country, Ukraine, became independent. The parents of Ana Kuni, both engineers by profession are humble sincere individuals and she was fortunate enough to be raised in a very loving environment, where a strong bond to nature was encouraged and vegetarianism was a way of life. It was only as an adult that she realised how remarkable and unique this lifestyle was and the sacrifices her parents must have made to maintain it, and for that she will always be truly grateful to them.

Ana Kuni always had a vivid imagination and her early paintings inspired her mother to send her to a local Art School aged six. She frequently travelled with her Father to St Petersburg and Moscow to walk along the stately hallways of Hermitage Museum and Tretyakov Gallery. It was from this seed that the passion and love for art grew, and with it a realisation that this could be an escape, from the functional ugliness of communism. 

Ana's work depicts strong, energetic women. It is a study of female behaviour in a fast-changing world. Her fascination with human nature and our ability to adapt in any given situation is the inspiration behind her work. She works in a variety of media, watercolours, acrylics, painting female faces with strong eyes that emanate a powerful soul and a wonder and connection with the world outside. Her depictions of wild animals are a feast of colour and intensity that perfectly capture the liveliness of the natural world. She has donated most of these series to various Animal Protection Charities to raise awareness and funds towards protection of endangered species.

Isolated subjects on a flat background can convey so much, pouring into the essence of the portrayed whilst allowing the viewer to re-imagine their context. Fashion illustration becomes a personal recollection of experiences and connections with people, de-commercialised beauty transferred into paper that turns into tributes to friendships forged out of common passions. The joy of live, the forever curious, the wonders of the world in the brushes of a fascinating girl called Ana Kuni.