Andrew Ostapenko is a visual artist fascinated with alternative and natural means of healing. For the last five years, he has been studying the healing properties of Art and implementing them in his work.
It is now becoming widely recognized that creating or viewing art can have profound healing effects on both the artist and the viewer. These effects are caused among other things by the variety of form and brilliancy of color, as well as on the transformation of one's physiological state and perception. Based on these principles, Andrew creates complex, bright and fluid paintings that challenge the rational mind and immerse the viewer into realms of the magical.
In 2007, Andrew teamed up with a registered Art Therapist to create a unique program funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. This first ever in Canada "Healing and Counseling through Art" program was designed to help recent refugees from war-torn countries to successfully resettle in Canada. Using the universal language of Art, Andrew works with refugee children and youth to assist them in expressing their feelings, experiences, fears and hopes, and to communicate and heal trauma.
Andrew’s works have been exhibited in Canada, USA, Mexico, South Korea and Peru and published in the 2009 edition of the book Art Buzz.
