10 Questions with Olga Isupova

Olga's artistic journey began with the traditional strokes of fine art, deeply rooted in harmony and a love for life. However, the digital realm soon beckoned, leading her to embrace new creative frontiers. Now a digital artist, she is captivated by the transformative possibilities of Augmented Reality—not just as a medium for viewing art, but as an immersive experience.

With AR, her work becomes dynamic, adaptable, and alive. Every moment serves as a canvas, and every space transforms into an exhibition. Her goal is to scatter fragments of beauty into the world, waiting to be discovered in the fleeting, elusive now.

www.visualizeme.gallery | @visualize.mee

ARTIST STATEMENT

Olga's work bridges the timeless absolutes of European art tradition with the cutting-edge possibilities of contemporary technology. Through Augmented Reality, she creates art that resonates with humanistic values, inviting viewers to engage with beauty on a deeply personal level. By seamlessly blending the classical with the digital, she forges connections that transform art into a shared, ever-evolving experience—one that reflects the continuity of creativity across time and space.

If there's anything I can do to make the interview more engaging, intriguing, or even a touch enchanting, just let me know! We could create something simple yet beautiful in AR—I have plenty of digital possibilities at hand. If you'd like to add a special touch to the article, I'd be delighted to collaborate.

Can you hear me, Interactive AR installation, 2021 © Olga Isupova

INTERVIEW

Your artistic journey began with fine art before transitioning into the digital realm. What inspired this shift, and how has it shaped your creative process?

My shift from fine art to digital felt like stepping through a portal—time-bending, perspectives shifting, and new dimensions unfolding. The traditional canvas, while timeless, could no longer contain the stories I wished to tell. Art needed to break free, to move, to exist beyond walls and frames.
Extended Reality (XR) and AI became my new tools, offering a canvas as vast as imagination itself. Through them, I could merge layers of reality—physical, digital, and the in-between—creating immersive experiences where art is not just seen but felt, explored, and lived.
This shift was not just about new techniques but about accessibility. With digital art, barriers dissolve—anyone with a gadget can step into my work, and I, as an artist, can shape spaces that transcend geography. The interplay of light, motion, and interaction reshaped my understanding of space, allowing me to craft not just images but experiences, where art exists wherever the viewer is, alive in their hands

Augmented Reality plays a key role in your work. What drew you to this medium, and how do you see it redefining the way we experience art?

Augmented Reality fascinates me because it introduces a dynamic interplay of layered realities. At its core, we have the tangible, real-world layer—the familiar, the touchable. Then comes the virtual layer, enriched with visuals, sound, and animation, expanding perception beyond the constraints of the physical. And, as technology advances, we await the integration of more senses—olfaction, tangibility—further dissolving the line between the digital and the corporeal.
These layers do not merely coexist; they merge, forming a fluid, ever-changing reality unique to each viewer. Art no longer exists as a single, fixed entity but as a spectrum of experiences, shaped by individual perception and interaction. No two encounters with the same piece are identical, making the work as alive as its audience.
In this fashion, the traditional relationship between art and the viewer transforms. No longer passive observers, viewers become active participants, influencing and reshaping the artwork through their engagement. The dialogue flows both ways—art affects perception, and perception, in turn, redefines art, creating an endless cycle of reinterpretation and co-creation.

Your work bridges classical European art traditions with cutting-edge technology. Do you see this as a form of artistic evolution, or is it a reimagining of the past through a new lens?

I see my work as both an evolution and a reimagining—two sides of the same artistic coin. Classical European art is steeped in beauty, harmony, and a meticulous understanding of composition and storytelling. These foundations remain at the heart of my practice, but technology allows me to extend them beyond the canvas, beyond static forms, into something interactive and alive.

Many artists struggle with the idea of technology “replacing” traditional techniques. How do you respond to such concerns, and what role do you think digital art will play in the future?

The essence of art has never been in the tool, nor in the medium—whether pigment or pixel—but in the message, the idea, the emotion it conveys. Art exists to communicate, to evoke, to challenge, and to inspire. The real question is not whether technology replaces traditional techniques, but whether an artist finds the most fitting language for their time—one that resonates with contemporary audiences while carrying meaning that transcends trends.
Every era has its own visual dialect, shaped by cultural shifts and technological advancements. The Renaissance embraced oil painting, Impressionists explored light and movement, and today, digital art and XR expand the boundaries of experience itself. What matters is not whether a brush or an algorithm is used, but whether the chosen medium serves the vision and allows it to be properly decoded by the observer.

If someone unfamiliar with AR encounters your work for the first time, what do you hope they feel or experience?

For those unfamiliar with AR, my work is an invitation—an introduction to a new way of seeing. I want them to feel engaged, to move around, to explore, to realise that art can be dynamic, responsive, and deeply personal. Each interaction is unique; the way they perceive, touch, and move through the piece shapes their own version of it.
Ultimately, I hope they leave with a sense of possibility—that art is not confined to walls, that technology is not cold but alive with creative potential, and that beauty can be found in the merging of past, present, and future.

Ode to Odour, AR Installation, 2024 © Olga Isupova

Beyond the visual aspect, do you think AR art can evoke a sense of human connection or even reshape how we interact with public spaces?

At its finest, AR art doesn’t just start a conversation—it crashes into it like an uninvited but utterly fascinating guest. It turns lone spectators into participants, sparking curiosity, mischief, and perhaps even a little collective awe. Suddenly, strangers are peering at the same invisible marvel through their screens or glasses, each seeing a slightly different version of reality. Passive observation? A thing of the past. AR drags people out of their usual, heads-down trudge and into a shared experience where the ordinary world gets a delightful glitch.
Public spaces, once resigned to being purely functional, become playgrounds for the imagination. A blank wall? Now a portal. A city square? An unfolding digital opera. A park? A stage for performances unseen by the naked eye but fully alive in augmented space. AR doesn’t just decorate reality; it mischievously rewrites it, coaxing people to pause, explore, and connect—not just with art, but with each other.

You mentioned being open to collaborative experiences. How do you envision your art evolving through interdisciplinary collaborations or audience interaction?

Every new collaboration is like adding a new lens to my artistic identity—shifting focus, revealing hidden layers, and sometimes even turning the whole composition upside down. Working across disciplines introduces perspectives I wouldn’t have encountered alone, enriching my understanding of how AR can weave into different fields, whether it’s music, theatre, science, or urban design.
But it’s not just about fellow artists—viewers themselves play a crucial role. Their interactions, reactions, and even the way they physically move through the artwork give me a thoughtful insight into how AR can evolve. A different emotional background, a unique setting, or even just the way someone frames the experience through their camera angle can open new pathways for exploration.
In this way, my work isn’t static; it’s shaped by those who engage with it. The more perspectives that merge into the creative process, the more dynamic and multi-layered AR art becomes—not just an expression of my vision, but a space where different realities, emotions, and interpretations collide.

If you could place one of your AR pieces anywhere in the world—without limitations—where would it be, and why?

If I could place one of my AR pieces anywhere, it wouldn’t be in a grand museum, on a famous landmark, or floating in the digital ether above a bustling city. No, I’d anchor it somewhere far more personal—near the house where I spent my childhood.
My work has traveled the world, appearing in different cities, spaces, and cultural landscapes, but there’s something poetic about bringing it back to where everything began. AR, after all, is about layering realities, merging past and present, and reinterpreting familiar spaces through a new lens. What better way to do that than by placing a piece in a setting rich with memory?
It wouldn’t need to be extravagant—just a quiet, nostalgic intervention. A way to see my old world through the eyes of my present self, to bridge the gap between who I was and who I’ve become. Because sometimes, the most extraordinary place isn’t the farthest or the most famous—it’s the one that shaped you.

What new technologies are you eager to discover and engage with in the future? And how do you keep up to date with the latest trends?

I’m always drawn to technologies that push the boundaries of perception, allowing us to engage with art in ways we haven’t yet imagined. Sensory expansion is particularly exciting—AR is already a visual and spatial experience, but I’m eager to see how olfactory and haptic technologies evolve, bringing scent and touch into the equation. Imagine an artwork you can not only see and hear but also feel and smell, making the experience even more immersive and multi-dimensional.
AI’s role in creative processes also fascinates me—not as a replacement for human expression but as a tool for collaboration. The idea of co-creating with an intelligent system, letting it suggest, remix, or even react to human input in real time, opens up endless possibilities for dynamic, living artworks.
As for keeping up with trends, I approach it less as a chase and more as an exploration. I follow the work of pioneering artists, researchers, and technologists, but often, inspiration comes from unexpected places—scientific papers, conversations, or even observing how people interact with technology in their everyday lives. The best way to stay ahead is to remain curious, open-minded, and always willing to experiment.

Lastly, speaking about the future, where do you see yourself and your work in five years from now?

In five years, I hope to find myself very much alive—thriving in a world adorned with precious books whispering their timeless secrets, art objects steeped in history and wonder, and musical instruments waiting to be brought to life with a touch. Exotic birds will add their vibrant plumage to the scenery, their songs weaving into the air like an ever-changing symphony, while rare and curious creatures will roam my artistic laboratory, each a muse for exploration and discovery. Surrounded by the finest things life has to offer—knowledge, beauty, and the endless pursuit of creative alchemy—I will continue conjuring digital splendour, bridging the tangible and the imagined, and forever seeking new languages of self-expression.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.

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