Ola Rondiak

Ola Rondiak’s paintings stem from her family’s experiences living in Ukraine during the historical events of WWII, Stalin’s Iron Curtain, the Orange Revolution in 2004 and the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. These events shaped Ola Rondiak’s world view. Emotional experiences surface in her paintings as family history intertwines with Ukrainian history and tradition. Using acrylics, collage and mixed media, Rondiak’s iconographic portraiture of women depicts their determined and indomitable spirit and mixes the styles of pop art, folklore and icons of the Byzantine period. As stated by Kathrine Page, Rondiak “harvests a bold new, deeply personal prototype emblematic of feminine tenacity stitched in truth through the thread of her own story. Rondiak’s creativity cuts the cloth of a new absolute beauty with a redemptive quality that clearly understands the important healing role of art and the psyche for future generations.” The female image looms large, and for Ola Rondiak, the female portrait underpins the terrain for truth and dignity on her canvases and installations. Rondiak earned her BS degree at Hunter College and later her M.Ed when she worked as a psychotherapist. Her work has been featured in solo exhibitions internationally, most recently at Art Context Miami (Dec 2018) with Tauver’s Gallery International, the Honchar Museum in Kyiv, US Embassy in Kyiv and Tri--Mission Art Gallery in the American Embassy in Rome, Italy, Dzyga Gallery in Lviv, Ukraine, The Ukrainian Institute of America in NYC,  the Delaware Contemporary Museum in Wilmington, DE, Zorya Fine Art Gallery in Greenwich, CT, as well as The Ukrainian National Museums in Cleveland and Chicago, and multiple group exhibitions. Currently her work can be seen on exhibit at The Ukrainian Cultural Center in Paris, France, RA Gallery in Kyiv, Ukraine, Zorya Fine Art Gallery in Greenwich, CT, Benjamin’s Art Gallery in NYC, and The Shevchenko National Museum in Kaniv, Ukraine. Rondiak’s work is part of a permanent collection of The Revolution of Dignity Museum in Kyiv, Ukraine, The Ukrainian Embassy in Bern Switzerland, as well as other private collectors. Rondiak’s landmark painted mural in the historic district of Kyiv, Ukraine, is a prominent part of Kyiv’s Street Art explosion.