Gallery INA DEDERER & FRIENDS

contemporary art gallery in the heart of Zurich

proudly presents:

ONA SADKOWSKY

One of the most intriguing young artists in Switzerland, Ona Sadkowsky’s distinctive style is appreciated not only within the Swiss urban art scene but has also been lauded in traditional solo and group shows at galleries and art fairs in Spain, Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Switzerland and the US. Born in Zurich in 1992, Ona has garnered a strong following and participates regularly in live performances where she paints murals for special events and for a variety of audiences. Ona grew up in the old city centre in a family of artists, in a world of daily painting and creativity, spending holidays and many weekends in her grandfather’s atelier and her weekdays in the apartment that served as her mother’s studio.

The artist began her artistic journey with simple pencil drawings in paper comics, usually filled with frivolous and sometimes perverse content, before moving on to illustrations and acrylic paintings on canvas using MOLOTOWTM markers. The artist works in her own studio in Zurich and continues various professional activities in the field of design, working with prestigious brands such as Disney, Coop, Havas, Absolut Vodka, Ikea and Rüegg & N.geli. Ona, who is self-trained in art history and theory, modestly declares that she just loves to create. “Drawing and painting is my life. If I could not pursue art as I do now, I would not be the person I am.”

Her subjects - she calls them ‘special characters’ - have a human quality despite a comic-like style that has much in common with graffiti.  The viewer often senses some sort of social taboo in Ona’s work, whether nudity, sexuality or notoriety. “My art is sharp, loud, fresh and naughty,” says Ona. Upon close inspection her work achieves the perfection of a print. Switzerland has applauded her vivid imagination but it remains a conservative market and Ona has her eyes set on Los Angeles, Miami and NY where she senses an openness that can inspire her further.