Five Minutes with a Friend: Olesia Sekeresh
For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, winter is truly settling in, and our thoughts are turning to the festive season. Selvedge’s Winter Fair poster continues to inspire us as we parade towards Christmas, capturing a sense of warmth, curiosity, and magic — a sentiment that reflects the artist behind it, Ukrainian illustrator Olesia Sekeresh.
Selvedge Winter Fair 2025 Poster by Olesia Sekeresh
Trained in graphic design at the Transcarpathian Art Institute, Sekeresh has always seen illustration as a kind of rediscovery, and a way to find her inner child while confronting the shadows that sometimes obscure it. Her work feels alive with this duality: light and thoughtful, playful yet deeply reflective. Whether creating editorial illustrations, posters, or immersive installations, she invites viewers into a world where storytelling and experimentation intertwine.
Illustrations for 'Crazy Carpathian Tale' by Olesia Sekeresh. Longlisted for the 2024 World Illustration Awards.
Sekeresh's creative path has led her from Ukraine to international recognition, with clients including Süddeutsche Zeitung, the German and Swiss Embassies in Kiev, and the EU Delegation to Ukraine. Her illustrations have been celebrated by Communication Arts (USA) and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (Italy), among others. Yet it is her ongoing curiosity and her passion for discovering new techniques and textures that truly define her practice.
Work in progress for ALPHABET OF TEXTILES: C is for Chopines. Olesia Sekeresh.
For Selvedge, Sekeresh brought her distinctive hand to “C is for Chopines” for Issue 127, Aurora, and now, to the Selvedge Winter Fair 2025 poster and animation. Her art reminds us, just as the season does, of the beauty in returning to creativity, to childhood wonder, and to the tactile joy of making.
We caught up with Olesia Sekeresh as part of our Five Minutes with a Friend series to find out more about her inspirations and creative process:
Olesia Sekeresh
Portrait of Olesia Sekeresh
Olesia, what is your first memory of an illustration?
Good question. I think it is from a childhood time. My parents bought me a book collection of different fairy tales, and the illustrations impressed me. They impressed me because it was a whole world of its own. I was illuminated by the new stories (I have to mention at that time I could not read).
Utopia by Olesia Sekeresh.
Can you put into words what you love about illustration?
Illustration opens new horizons to seeing things from another point of view. Without words it can touch an inner sensitivity, and colours can heal.
Where is your most inspiring space or place to create?
To create I need one very important thing – to be full with inner resources. This I usually get from nature (walking in the Black Forest) and traveling. And then I "rework“ impressions in my cute little studio.
Illustration by Olesia Sekeresh.
What has inspired you recently?
Nature is always my source of inspiration. But humans impress me too – the last thing that influenced me was the Philharmonie building in the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, and other creations by the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. His Catalan Modernist buildings made a great impression on me.
Illustration by Olesia Sekeresh.
What is your most cherished illustration or material, and why?
I am big fan of hand drawing material – because drawing with them is like therapy. I love mixing colours and observing the process. When you draw with water on paper than add some some drops of watercolour and than salt... incredible effects and feelings!
Advent by Olesia Sekeresh.
Where did you learn your craft?
Well, my father is a painter so art accompanies me from childhood. I remember one winter it was snowing and I wanted to go outside. My father allowed me, but told me that I should to draw. He gave me ink with a pen, and I needed to make copies of human portraits from the book "Middle Age Art“.
Then I studied in an Art Institute. I think that all my life I will learn and explore new techniques. I love to take part in workshops by other artist and illustrators and I certainly always learn something new.
Thank you, Olesia, for taking the time to share your inspiring responses with us here at Selvedge.
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Further Information:
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Image Credits:
Lead: ALPHABET OF TEXTILES: C is for Chopines. Olesia Sekeresh, 2025. Featured in Selvedge Issue 127, Aurora.
All further images as credited in photo captions.