Reimagining Mythology: Contemporary Figurative Painting and the Collective Unconscious with Oleg Tsyba
- Mar 1
- 4 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
In today’s contemporary art landscape, mythology is no longer confined to ancient texts. It has become a living framework for exploring identity, psychology, and the human condition. In this exclusive artist interview, Oleg Tsyba reinterprets mythological figures through contemporary figurative painting grounded in symbolism and psychological depth.
Drawing from his medical background, extensive study of human anatomy, and engagement with Carl Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious, Tsyba bridges classical mythology with modern perception. His work examines inherited narratives, archetypes, and the timeless emotional patterns that connect humanity across centuries. Through expressive compositions and dramatic storytelling, mythology becomes more than subject matter. It becomes a mirror reflecting who we are today.
THE SON OF ZEUS HAS THE BEST BASKETBALL SNEAKERS | oil & canvas | 110X120
Q: Let’s start with a fun icebreaker: If your mythological figures had Instagram accounts, what would their bios say?
A: "We will come to you in your dreams."
Q: Can you tell us a little about your background and how you came to be an artist?
A: "I graduated from a medical academy. I work as a doctor during the day, but in the evenings, or honestly, in any free time, I draw. I started drawing around age 10. My art textbook was a Soviet manual titled How to Draw Comics in the Marvel Style. A rather strange title, in my opinion, for a publication printed in the Soviet Union. I inherited it from my sister, who went to art school, unlike me. That is how I began to grasp the basics of composition from Stan Lee.
Around 13, I started to dabble in graffiti. After entering medical academy, I abandoned drawing and began playing basketball very intensively. I even had a semi professional career in college basketball. Just like in art school, I studied human anatomy at a slightly deeper level. I got an A in psychology. It was there that I became interested in Jung’s work on the collective unconscious.
After graduating from the academy, I built a fairly successful career as a senior physician and never even considered painting. My taste in art at that time was rather mediocre. I simply did not understand it. But about seven years ago, I seemed to be struck by a vital urge to create art. I independently studied the works of Kandinsky and Malevich, as well as Itten’s theory of color and form. And then, what happened, happened."
Q: What first drew you to mythology as a framework for exploring the body and identity?
A: "... at medical academy, I really enjoyed psychology and psychiatry, specifically the part about the collective unconscious and the obsessive compulsive patterns that connect us all. According to Jung’s theory, myth is a reflection of that same collective unconscious. So I did not even think about what my art should be about at that point. I simply began retelling myths as best I could."
Q: In your artist statement, you mention that you invite viewers to rethink perceptions of identity and inherited narratives. Does challenging perception feel intentional or instinctive?
A: "I do not think there is really any challenge. People always think the times they live in are the most perfect, and that their ancestors were exceptionally backward and walked around wrapped in rags. But in reality, people today are the same as they were thousands of years ago. They are greedy and avaricious, strong and all forgiving. They fear death and believe in love. Everything is just like before, just wrapped in other rags, with a phone in hand. Therefore, everything happens instinctively, with a feeling that this is how it should be."
Q: Would you say perception is something we control, or something that controls us, and how does your work engage with that dynamic?
A: "Of course, perception is directly connected to my works. And whether it controls us or we control it, I think it depends on the observer’s engagement with the subject matter. The deeper the observer looks, the more opportunities there are for interpretation. Once, a viewer of mine told me so much about the painting Hippomenes and Atalanta. I did not even think about it when I painted it. He was able to see so many things I had long forgotten or recalled automatically."
Q: As we come to a close, complete the thought: “When people leave my work, I hope they remember __________.”
A: "I do not think it is important to me that people remember anything specific in my works. But I would be pleased if the viewer caught the cheerful, dramatic nature of my characters, because when I was 10 years old, Stan Lee, then I did not even know who he was, taught me how to create drama."
By merging mythology, psychology, and contemporary figurative art, Oleg Tsyba explores perception, identity, and the archetypal forces that quietly shape human experience. His paintings reveal that while the external world evolves, human nature remains strikingly constant, driven by desire, fear, love, and memory.
Within each composition, mythological figures become vessels for something deeply familiar. They are not distant symbols of the past, but reflections of internal states that persist across centuries. Through gesture, anatomy, and dramatic tension, Tsyba underscores the continuity between ancient narrative and modern consciousness.
In this way, the canvas becomes both stage and mirror, revealing that beneath shifting cultural surfaces, the emotional architecture of the human condition remains the same.
To see more of Oleg Tsyba's incredible work and stay updated on his latest projects, be sure to follow him on Instagram and visit his website!
Disclaimer:
The views, opinions, and perspectives expressed by artists featured, interviewed, or presented on this site are solely those of the respective individuals. They do not necessarily reflect the views, beliefs, or opinions of Selfless Art Gallery, its staff, or affiliates.
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