Nathan Markman: “Art is the only thing that helps me speak on important matters”

Ukrainian artist of Romani origin talks on what art is, what are Romanis in art, and how personal identity expresses itself through art. He is of mixed Romani and Jewish origin. Born and living in Kyiv, he speaks Ukrainian and calls himself a Ukrainian artist. 

Nathan Markman is a painter from Kyiv. He is 28, a graduate of the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture, Department of Cinema and Scenography. After his graduated from the NAFAA, he enrolled at the Vienna University of Applied Arts—but had to postpone his trip to Austria for studies due to lack of funds, Next, the onset of war and the awareness of the Russian invasion forced him to stay in his homeland, in Kyiv—where he lives now. Nathan is of Romani origin on his mother’s side—she belongs to the Roma Kotliar ethnic group. On his Father’s line, there are Jewish roots. For his entire life, however, he has never belonged to either of the two groups. 

“We have always been a family of artists; we have never been really connected with traditional Romanis”, — says Nathan as he is lighting his cigarette. 

The boy has been growing up in a family of artists who have surrounded him since childhood. Mykhailivska Street, in the very heart of Kyiv, used to shape the environment and define tastes of this young man. Back then, a so-called Paris Commune existed there and then: a common space where artists like to gather, in a private house, in Paris Commune Street. Today, this is Mykhailivska Street, but back in the 1990s, an artistic phenomenon existed there which emerged in the tumultuous times of revolutionary political, economic, social, and aesthetic changes of the early 1990s. This artistic community grew to be eventually referred to as “Parcommune”. 

It is the opinion of Nathan Markman that, essentially, arts do not fulfil any specific mission at all. There is no clear and defined objective, that is. Moreover, the artist also contemplates the provocative component of culture. He says that, in its essence, arts and culture are not provoking—at least in his own, personal vision of creative activity.

“Provocation has never been my objective. Particularly considering the fact that I am very sceptical towards provocation as an artistic method, by and large”

Nathan Markman mostly works with figurative painting and graphics, interactive installation, and audiovisual arts. He uses his artistic practices to reflect and research modern-day Ukrainian and worldwide sociocultural and sociopolitical reality. Thus, his creative activity may well be referred to as political arts. Because it provokes. And because it presents us with a question: us and the others, too. In his works, Nathan often addresses topics of historical memory, political violence, power, authoritarianism, and modern-day culture in a broader interpretation. 

 “The Romani topic is a complicated one but this is actually the reason why it is so important for me, too. The manner in which a society approaches complicated topics defines that society”, — says Nathan.

The topic of Romani context, history, and traditions has been of interest to him since early childhood but it was only later that he started to delve into the topic with awareness—when he developed an interest in historical memory and the past. Romanis have been a component of Ukrainian culturological entity for ages. For many years, the two ethnicities have been living side by side, hence the Romani culture has quite often left imprints in Ukrainian toponyms, customs, traditions, and even in Ukrainian dialects of certain regions of Ukraine. 

The Romani culture is a bit of a mix of one’s own impacts and others’ impacts—depending upon the neighbours with whom they have been coexisting for centuries. For instance, the Romanis of Transcarpathia differ considerably from those residing in Eastern and Southern Ukraine. Whereas the Romanis of Crimea are entirely different from those living in Galicia or Hutsulia. We are talking not about the impact of and upon language but also about religion and about the entire cultural layer which certain groups of people carry along. 

Due to his interest in the past—on a personal as well as national level—Nathan has been slowly getting back to the topic of Romanis in Ukrainian society. He started to delve deeper into complicated contexts of Romani question and into challenges; he started to reflect parallel and contemporary historical events in his works. The artist explains that his creative activities are partially about political arts, hence the Romani topic is a core motif for creation of certain images and senses which can then be read off Nathan’s pictures. He says: today, Romanis constitute an important political components. 

One of his works is dedicated to events showcasing discrimination of Romanis. In 2018, there were pogroms of a Romani makeshift encampment at Lysa Hora in Kyiv, and an attack on a Romani encampment in Lviv whereby one of its residents was killed and several others were injured. Then, Nathan had a reflection of these events in one of his creative works.  

The topic of war and aggression of the Russian invaders are the key topics Nathan reflects upon today. He is talking about the direct impact which the arts have on the society or on a certain community of people. And also about the importance of talking the trauma through certain visual images. 

“The arts do not have a direct impact—but it can in fact be an instrument which can help relay certain senses or issues which are being discussed in society. The arts, in fact, is the only manner in which I can communicate with the world. Talk about my thoughts. About something I deem to be important, — says Nathan. Sometimes, I doubt it impacts me in any direct manner but the fact that it does impact me is beyond any doubt”. 

Today, in his flat in Kyiv, Nathan continues working on the topic of memory. He intends to create a series of works related to war, the terror, human rights. Although—as he himself considers—he is so far not particularly certain if that series of works is going to be released as an entity or will it only be fragmentary.