Anna FIALKOVSKA — expert in the hotel and restaurant business, artist, photographer.
Viktor FIALKOVSKII — Master chef. Vice-president of the Association of Culinary Workers of Ukraine.

Anna FIALKOVSKA, together with her husband Viktor, has dedicated over 20 years to cooking. She is an expert in the hotel and restaurant business, a well-known critic. He is one of five holders of the highest title of “Master Chef” in Ukraine.
For the sake of his career, she left hers and started everything from scratch. For the sake of her health, he… bought her brushes, paints and canvases. Who would have thought, but an ordinary hobby discovered in Anna a real talent as an artist! A fantastic story, where there is love, support and creativity — in a joint interview of a famous couple.

— Victor, what did you think when you first saw your wife? How did you meet her?
— We worked together in a nightclub. I was a cook, and Anna was a barwoman. At that time, she had just graduated from a college, and I – from technical school. So you could say that our relationship started with a work romance. That was 23 years ago. I immediately realised that she was the one.
— Anna, was working at the bar a part-time job for you? What is your education?
— After graduation, I went straight to work because I needed money as a young girl. My first degree was as a food preparation technician-technologist. I also have a master’s degree in hotel and restaurant management. This is in the same field, but in a broader sense – administration, management of hotels or restaurants.
— How did you become an artist? When did you start painting?
— When COVID-19 was quarantined in 2020, I had serious panic attacks – I couldn’t even breathe. I was very worried about my children and my mother, who lived in another city. Then I got to hospital and was advised to switch my attention somewhere else. So I decided to paint. At first, I didn’t even have brushes, so I created an image of an oriental cherry using ordinary cotton swabs. My husband was very supportive – he bought paints and other necessities and brought me to the hospital.

— So this was your first painting?
– No, it wasn’t. I created my first drawing 20 years ago, when I was pregnant with my first son, our son Dmytro. Inspired by the process of gestation, I used an ordinary grey pencil to draw a sleeping baby. The drawing itself was very similar to a black and white photograph, even with shades.

— Victor, did your wife already «see» what her son would be like?
— The baby in the picture did not look like our son. But when our second child, daughter Melaniia, was born nine years later, we remembered that picture, got it out, and were amazed: the picture was a copy of our daughter.

— Anna, how dare you show your talent to the world?
— People connected with art began to admire me. These are our friends and acquaintances who also painted and created art galleries. They looked at me in surprise and asked me if I was sure I didn’t have an artistic education.
Then a full-scale war broke out. We were forced to leave the country for a while and go to Switzerland. There, they organised an evening of acquaintance and support for Ukrainians. I presented my painting to a patron who helped many people to escape, which depicts a dark night in Kyiv, ravaged by war, but in the middle there are touches of light, in which you can see trees and mountains – a different world, of calm and peace. He was so delighted with the idea that there are two realities – anxiety and peace – that he even shed a tear.
After returning from Switzerland, we organized an exhibition of all 30 paintings I had at that time at the media centre of the State Enterprise «General Directorate for Servicing Foreign Missions» (hereinafter referred to as GDIP), where we work. And when I saw that my paintings were wanted to be bought, only then did I realise that I probably really had some talent.

— Viktor, in whose collections can one find your wife’s paintings?
— We regularly hold various charity marathons. Last year, we organised a football match and an auction on the territory of the GDFM, raising funds for the National Guard. One painting was bought by foreigners from Italy. Another one, depicting golden ears of grain in 3D, was bought by a man from Odesa who said: “Such beauty should remain in Ukraine.” He offered about 20 thousand hryvnias for the work.

— What are you painting about now, Anna? How much time do you spend on your work?
— The directions are very different; it depends on the state of mind. Today, for example, I can paint the ocean, and tomorrow – the forest. I have a collection called “Jazz” – five paintings in the same style, with red shades, depicting a grand piano, a saxophone, a retro microphone. I especially like the two guitars, because they seem to be real – you close your eyes, touch the canvas, and you can feel these strings. I use different techniques; my works are voluminous and structural.

— Viktor, when Anna is painting, do you do all the housework?
— We often communicate with different artists. Some of them admit that they paint a picture for a month or two. When Anna starts painting, she can’t get up until she’s finished. The inspiration comes and that’s it. She can sit and paint all day long, and the next day she varnishes it; because if the process drags on, she will look for flaws in herself. She is very picky.

— Anna, did your artistic creativity also encourage you to take up photography?
–I started to see things that other people don’t notice, to create compositions, to change them. I have been taking pictures for four years now. It all started with landscapes – I wanted to capture them as a souvenir. At first, with a phone, and later we bought a professional camera. And so it grew into a serious business. I already have regular people whom I photograph, in particular, ambassadors of different countries and government officials. In addition, I create magazines and brochures that relate directly to my professional activities.

— Viktor, your wife dedicated many of her works to you. Which is your favourite?
— The most symbolic painting Anna gave me for my birthday/ It was THE BIG BOSS VIKTOR. The canvas is quite large, textured, with a touch of humour, and I hung it in my office.
I also particularly like glow-in-the-dark paintings made with fluorescent paint.
— In your experience, what is the recipe for a happy marriage, Viktor?
— Probably in supporting each other. When I went abroad for a long business trip at the Ukrainian embassy, Ania left her job and came with me. She was in great demand at the time, but decided to start from scratch.
We are both leaders and full-fledged creative personalities, each in our own direction. It is important not to engage in a tug-of-war, but to learn to talk. Not to guess, not to form expectations. Because when there is a dialogue, all issues and problems are resolved.

— What creative prospects do you see for yourself, Anna?
— Recently, I received a certificate of honour from the Kyiv Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the highest award and the first in the history of the GDIP from this organisation. As for my art, I don’t have any ambitions. I paint for myself, for people, to enjoy the process and to broadcast goodness.
Nowadays, it is impossible to plan the future with certainty. W As long as we live, as long as we see. Recently, when the shelling has intensified, I want to paint something related to nature, because people’s eyes are very tired and empty now. It is frightening. Many people are physically and especially mentally crippled by the war.
I want my story to inspire others to work through their negative experiences through art. Let’s help, forgive, and be open to each other.