Composition with Fire

Pazza Pennello, a Ukrainian pop artist born in 1987, based in Kiev, has been actively exhibiting her work since 2012. She explores various subjects and experiences through different media, Pazza's art delves into themes such as women's sexuality and societal norms. She used to draw inspiration from Soviet-era posters depicting stalwart and hardened women. However, she decided to “decommunize” her paintings after the full-on Russian invasion began. Her artworks depict beams of light penetrating rooms and domestic scenes from the 80s. Pazza uses this imagery to highlight the taboo nature of discussing such topics on television at the time, emphasizing the oppressive societal views on sexual freedom.

She has cultivated a style of structural painting reminiscent of elevated Pop Art culture, characterized by regions of flat color bordered by bold black lines. Her subjects, typically featuring nude figures or hands holding cigarettes (with the face intentionally concealed), are presented in fragments illuminated solely by ambient light sources such as windows or lamps. The exposed form evokes a sense of curiosity, ambiguity, mystery, and desire, as her models and technique redefine the perception of a silhouette through its simplicity. In her artwork, she explores moments of pause, release, and indulgence. These paintings capture the introspective pause one experiences upon returning home after a long day — a solitary act of turning on a warm light to ease the strain on the eyes, creating a suspended moment in time.

"The women in my paintings are calm, free, and empowered. Even if I paint one with her legs spread, it’s not an invitation or seduction — she is just relaxed, comfortable this way. I believe they are not obliged to sit like timid ladies with hands resting on their knees. Women can do what they want. They can be what they want." 
"My earlier works were closer to pop art. I used the mass culture objects — cartoon characters, products, and famous images, albeit putting them into a different context. Now my works are feminist, although they are still close to pop art formally. I use my favorite color — which is yellow — to paint the light beams highlighting my women on the canvas. After all, the shadow of the patriarchate is still looming over them even now, in the 21st century."