Ksenia alias Ame Spirit (Abre numa nova janela) is a Ukrainian contemporary artist based in Berlin, working across painting, graphics, and sculpture. Her signature style blends provocative colors, text elements, and distorted proportions, creating striking, thought-provoking visuals. Born in Mykolaiv, she later moved to Kyiv, where her artistic journey began at just four years old. After fleeing the Russian invasion, she found new creative ground in Berlin. Ame Spirit’s work explores emotion, transformation, and identity, utilizing diverse materials like acrylics, textiles, ceramics, and digital media. Beyond visual art, she also has a strong connection to fashion, having worked with Ukrainian brands and shared her passion for independent labels. Deeply engaged in Berlin’s artistic scene, she continues to advocate for Ukrainian voices, contributing to exhibitions and cultural conversations.
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the bRAVEs: Long story short: Where are you from and how did you make it to Berlin?
Ksenia: I was born in the city of Mykolaiv in the south of Ukraine, but I moved to Kyiv as a child and spent almost my entire life there. After Russia’s full-scale invasion began, I ended up under occupation and was forced to flee to Europe. After a lot of reflection and a few fortunate coincidences, I chose Berlin as my new home, and I’ve been living here for three years now.
the bRAVEs: When did you realize that you were interested in art and how did you start?
Ksenia: Art has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. My mother also had an artistic soul, so she always supported me and encouraged me to try different directions. Seeing my passion for drawing, she took me to her own art teacher at an art school when I was just four years old—that’s where my journey began.
the bRAVEs: Is the process of art self-expression, an outpouring of emotion or meditation?
Ksenia: It can be both, but it’s often more of an emotional outpouring. I rarely have a fully formed image in my head that I just transfer onto paper or canvas. So it’s often a surprise for me too to see what comes out in the end, and undoubtedly the emotions and circumstances I’m experiencing at the time of creating greatly influence the result.
the bRAVEs: Do you think you have already found yourself in a certain style or is the process still unfinished?
Ksenia: I have a few very distinctive features that make my work easy to recognize: provocative colors, text elements, and most importantly, unique faces with slightly altered proportions. But I’m definitely not done experimenting and exploring. I feel like there’s still an energy inside me that’s searching for its own form to emerge.
the bRAVEs: You've been living in Berlin for three years now - describe how it feels.
Ksenia: Oh, my relationship with Berlin is definitely toxic—or a love-hate relationship. For many years, I was part of the techno-clubbing community, but over the years I realized that it no longer interests me. So, for me, half of Berlin has basically died. And while I truly love the people here, my friends, the creativity, the chance to discover something interesting every day—events, museums, concerts—at the same time, I’m tired of the dirt, the smell, and the shouting in the streets. Probably after the war, the feeling of peace and safety has risen very high on my list of values.
the bRAVEs: Is it easy or difficult to be an art person in Berlin?
Ksenia: It’s very easy—there are so many artists, communities, and events around that everyone can find their own niche. But whether you can actually be a full-time artist here and make a living from it is a very debatable question—unless you’re a DJ! 😂
the bRAVEs: You recently started featuring Ukrainian fashion brands (Abre numa nova janela) on your Instagram. Tell us about the idea and whether we should wait for the sequel.
(Abre numa nova janela)Ksenia: Wow, thank you for noticing that! I actually have a master’s degree in fashion design, and for many years I worked in a designer showroom in Kyiv, where I collaborated with Ukrainian brands. I honestly believe that we have one of the coolest fashion scenes in Europe when it comes to small independent labels and street style, plus the quality of the pieces themselves is incredibly high. So it felt like a shame that so few people outside of Ukraine knew about them, and I wanted to share that with my English-speaking friends. Usually, I post videos on Instagram on Thursdays, but now I’m thinking of doing it every other week. So stay tuned, and you’re bound to find something you’ll love!
the bRAVEs: How can you support Ukraine if you don't have much money?
Ksenia: Honestly, you don’t need a lot of money to help. Personally, I set up a small monthly donation to the Sternenko Foundation, where about €1.50 is withdrawn from my card every month—it doesn’t affect my budget at all, but that kind of consistent support really helps the foundation itself. But even without talking about money, just talking about the war, reminding people about it, recommending Ukrainian goods or artists to friends who do have money, getting Ukrainian voices involved in events, exhibitions, and conferences—that’s how we earn money and send it where it’s needed 😂. And just as importantly, don’t support Russian products or brands that collaborate with Russia.
Interview was first published (Abre numa nova janela) on June 4, 2025
PHOTOS by
Alexander Weigandt (Abre numa nova janela)
INTERVIEW by
vdm.berlin (Abre numa nova janela)
AME SPIRIT
Instagram (Abre numa nova janela)
the bRAVEs — Electronic Music Berlin
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Data
11/02/2026
Tópico
INTERVIEWS SEASON II