Brush, voice, stage: an artist who creates without limits

"Vocalist, artist, theater and film actress, photographer," Anastasia Bakunova introduces herself as a vocalist, noting that she cannot emphasize any of her artistic areas more. For her, it's like a question: "Which parent do you love more?". Intent contacted Anastasia to talk about her debut solo exhibition of paintings "Four Colors of Inspiration". In her work, the girl has combined only red, blue, yellow and black - the main primary colors.

A creative gene inherited

Anastasiia Bakunova, 25, says that her whole life has been inseparably linked to art, as her whole family is very creative. But the ways she learned to sing and paint were completely different. From the age of 9, she studied piano at a music school. She received her professional education in Kyiv, first at the Pavlo Chubynskyi Academy of Arts, then at the National Academy of Culture and Arts Management.

"I probably got my vocal abilities from my mother, although my grandparents also have good voices. However, they have folk voices, and there was no academic voice like mine in my family. My grandfather worked at the House of Culture, and my mother and grandmother performed there. I got used to the stage since childhood. From the age of 6 she sang at the House of Children's Creativity, and from the age of 12 she was a soloist in the artistic collective "Professional Agricultural Lyceum" in Kobeliaky . Kobeliaky, where my mother was the director. Thanks to both institutions, I not only improved my vocal abilities, but also enriched my experience of stage performances, which brought me prizes at international competitions," says the artist.

Anastasiia as a child

Instead, the artist says that her ability to draw comes clearly and without hesitation from her father, who is an artist.

"I watched him and just started painting for myself. At the age of 11, I asked him to teach me - he put a vase with a cup and told me to paint this still life. Because in his understanding, to learn to paint academically, you need to start with the basics: shapes, tones, etc. I didn't want to do that, because I thought I knew how to do all of that already. So that's where it ended, my father didn't teach me anymore," Anastasiia recalls with a smile.

She adds that she is not lacking in stubbornness, so she continued to paint. All this time, her father was only giving her advice, pointing out mistakes or shortcomings. Thus, Anastasiia learned artistic skills mostly on her own.

At the age of 12, she painted her first portrait of a real person, and at the age of 15, she turned her hobby into a living. It was then that the girl started painting portraits to order. It was only in adulthood that she decided to get a professional education - she graduated from the Kyiv State Academy of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design named after Mykhailo Boichuk with a degree in Graphic Design.

Getting to know the stage anew

The theater appeared in Anastasia Bakunova's life suddenly, but it quickly took its place and revealed her hidden creative potential.

"I am from the town of Kobeliaky in Poltava region. There I met a man who worked a lot on business trips. I decided that I would travel with him. In 2023, we moved to Mykolaiv. When I found out that there were two theaters in the city, I decided to go see them. After all, I had never been to them, neither as an artist nor as a spectator," Anastasia says.

According to the artist, her curiosity and a little restless energy turned this trip into a new profession. During the visit, she decided to ask if there were any vacancies in theaters. Given her musical education and concert experience, she chose the Mykolaiv National Academic Ukrainian Drama and Musical Comedy Theater. At the end of 2023, she started working at the Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater.

Anastasia Bakunova in the theater

"The theater opened the stage for me in a different light. It can also be described as getting out of your comfort zone in one second. Because singing and acting are completely different things. Also, theater is a separate world with its own rules and traditions. So it took about a year to adapt. Thank you for the support of the directors of both institutions, directors and colleagues. It is very important for beginners," Anastasia admits.

The actress does not hide the fact that she had to study a lot. She gradually entered the repertoire. Today, she is involved in all musical concerts and is preparing for the premiere of her first performance, a comedy play "Beware of Women".

"I am a very creative person, so it was not difficult for me to play any emotional state. Moreover, when you are on the same page with the director, you just have to listen to him carefully and everything will turn out quite easily. But the hardest part of acting for me is the texts. Because I didn't have the practice of memorizing scripts in such a volume and with a certain meaning. At the same time, the specifics of learning texts for theater, film, or TV series are different," Anastasia explains.

The girl boldly takes risks and constantly tests her strength. Recently, she gained her first experience of filming for a movie. She played one of the main roles in one of the stories of a long-running series on a Ukrainian TV channel.

"This profession is interesting because as long as you live on stage, it will be new to you. It is simply impossible to get used to one thing. Each new role, script, scene gives you different emotions, knowledge, and feelings. Therefore, acting is a constant learning process, with comprehensive development and movement forward. It's actually really cool, because it's my comfortable state," Anastasia emphasizes.

Four colors of inspiration

With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the number of orders for paintings decreased, and by the time she moved to Mykolaiv, this work was completely "paused". She sometimes painted something for herself, when she was inspired. Everything changed with the appearance of the Kherson theater.

"Something switched in me. I created my first painting and realized that I wanted to make an exhibition. And when I painted the second canvas, I formulated the concept. Then Oleksandr Kniazka (general director and artistic director of the Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater named after Mykola Kulish - ed.) learned about my work and helped me realize my plan. We planned to make our artistic debut in the theater, but due to the security situation, we moved it to our Mykolaiv colleagues. But Kherson will definitely see the exhibition," the artist says.

Anastasiia and Oleksandr Kniazka

In May 2025, the Mykolaiv Academic Art Drama Theater hosted the opening of Anastasiia Bakunova's first solo exhibition, Four Colors of Inspiration. It features 20 works from different periods of her career. According to the author, the emphasis is on pop art, but there is also a classic landscape, features of surrealism and impressionism. The main idea of the exhibition is to use only four colors: red, blue, yellow and black.

"These colors are bright, harmoniously combined and even in contrast are well read. Symbolism... I will say my personal opinion. Red is passion and vitality, pulsating and energizing. It is also a sign of love and rebellion that calls for action. Blue is the depth of the ocean and the calmness of the sky. It is thought-provoking, calming and gives a sense of inner harmony. Yellow is a sunbeam associated with childhood. It inspires new achievements and makes you smile. And black is a mystery. It is the unknown that always attracts you," the artist explains.

A work from the exhibition

Anastasiia believes that everyone should feel art in their own way. Therefore, the author should not impose her own meanings of colors, styles, and subjects. Thus, when looking at the painting, the viewer will be touched not by the idea and its presentation, but by what they personally read between the lines.

"This event was extremely important for me. A lot of people came to the opening, and I received a lot of nice feedback. My dad also admitted that he did not expect me to ever have a personal exhibition and was very proud of my achievements.

In fact, the support of my family, friends, and colleagues has always encouraged me not to stop at one thing. I'm happy that I can develop in different areas, not just as a vocalist, or an actress, or an artist," Anastasiia says.

Now the artist is developing an idea for her next exhibition. It will be a continuation of individual paintings from her existing oeuvre, turning them into a series of canvases. As for the style, the author will leave it almost unchanged - four colors, which will be combined like popart with elements of naturalism.

Works from the exhibition

The artist plans to present her works in September this year at the opening of the theater season in the Kherson theater.

"I also want to organize a photo exhibition "Paths of the native land". I took all the photos of the landscapes, because it is another creative hobby. I am convinced that you don't just have to live through the day, you have to bring something to this life - create something that can be seen, heard or touched. In my case, this is done with the help of art, which is a part of me," Anastasia summarizes.

All photos were provided by the interviewee.

The work on this material was made possible by the Fight for Facts project, which is implemented with the financial support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Ігор Льов, Яніна Надточа