Artist statement

Olga Zane

Olga Zane (Zadoroznaja) is a Lithuanian contemporary artist whose work spans oil, acrylic, mixed media and — since 2024 — home fragrance. Everything she creates is purely her own art: the paintings, the scents, and the world they build together.

She sold her first painting at fourteen. At fifteen, she held her first personal exhibition in Vilnius. These were not accidents — they were the earliest signs of someone who had always been, and would always be, an artist.

Formally trained at Vilnius University of Applied Sciences with a BA in Image Design, Olga's path as a painter began with pencil — the most demanding starting point. From there she moved straight to oil, skipping the acrylics and mixed media that most artists begin with. It was only later, in her own studio near London, that she discovered those materials and threw herself into experimentation: working with as many mediums, surfaces and techniques as she could find. That period was driven by a singular ambition — to master a way of working that was entirely, unmistakably her own.

She found it. Along the way she also explored photography, body art and acting — each one feeding her visual instinct and expanding what she understood art could do.

Olga's palette has shifted dramatically over the years, and she sees that as entirely intentional. The colours she uses are a direct reflection of where she is in life. Early works are rich with contrast and discovery. Her most recent collection glows with warmth — bronzes, ambers, the depth of something deeply felt.

Because lately, Olga's art is about love.

Not love as a single feeling, but love in all the forms she is fortunate enough to experience — the raw, tender connection between two people; the wonder of watching children see the world for the first time; the uncomplicated, pure devotion of animals; the quiet love for nature that asks nothing back; and the hardest love of all — the one a woman learns to have for herself. These are the feelings that move through her work now, and they are unmistakable in every piece she makes.

The home scents line was born from an unhappy accident. In the winter of 2024, Olga overworked her back and found herself unable to paint for months. Unable to be still, she began spending her evenings watching candle flame — and slowly realised she could extend her art into something entirely new. Every scent in the collection was formulated by Olga herself, inspired directly by her paintings. Every colour in the range reflects her artwork. It began as a way to keep creating when her body wouldn't allow her to paint. It became something she couldn't imagine her work without.

Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at MADS Gallery in Milan and at Boomer Gallery near London Bridge as part of the 2022 "Vogue" exhibition. Her paintings are held in private collections across Europe and the UK, and she collaborates with interior designers who seek work with genuine emotional presence. She splits her time between Lithuania and the UK, painting full time since 2020.

Olga Zane does not make art to decorate walls. She makes art — and now, scent — to make people feel something they recognise but couldn't name until they encountered it.