November 7 - December 9, 2026
Love, Life &
The Other Circus
Solo Exhibition by Olga Bakhtina
Creative Room Art Space presents Love, Life & the Other Circus, a solo exhibition by award-winning Brisbane-based artist Olga Bakhtina.
Known for her expressive brushwork, vibrant colours and imaginative compositions, Bakhtina draws inspiration from European modernism, particularly the École de Paris and Fauvism. Her paintings explore human relationships, emotions and the unexpected turns of everyday life, bringing together familiar subjects and curious characters in worlds that move between reality and imagination.
In this exhibition, Bakhtina invites viewers to find their own stories within her paintings, embracing life's contradictions, humour and occasional absurdity.
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"Life is a curious kind of circus. We fall in love, play our parts, wear our masks, make choices, dream, and sometimes find ourselves in situations we could never have imagined.
This exhibition brings together paintings from different worlds: women and animals, lovers and dreamers, Venice, interiors, fruit and circus characters.
Some are playful, some more mysterious. They are connected by my interest in people, their relationships, the beauty and absurdity of everyday life.
I like the moment when something familiar becomes a little unexpected, when a figure seems to belong to a dream, or an animal becomes a companion in a story that has no clear beginning or end. I leave it to the viewer to imagine what happens next and create their own story. Colour, pattern and geometry help me bring these worlds together, somewhere between reality and imagination.
This is what painting means to me: making sense of life, while leaving room for its absurdities, its joys and a little magic. Love, life, and everything that comes along with them".
Olga Bakhtina
Exhibition Events
About the Artist
Olga Bakhtina
Olga Bakhtina is an award-winning Brisbane-based artist whose expressive oil and charcoal paintings explore human emotions, relationships and storytelling. Born in Russia, she began her formal art education while living in Oman and later studied under Archibald Prize winner David Paulson in Australia. In 2024, she graduated from the University of Queensland with a degree in Art History.
Her artistic practice draws inspiration from European modernism, particularly the École de Paris and Fauvism, as well as Early Renaissance painting. Influenced by artists such as Matisse, Chagall, Modigliani and Soutine, Olga is known for her confident brushwork, vibrant colours and distinctive approach to the human figure.
Since her first solo exhibition in Oman in 2012, Olga has exhibited regularly across Australia, including at St John's Anglican Cathedral in Brisbane, the Cathedral of St Stephen and galleries in Queensland and New South Wales. She has received multiple art awards, including the COSSAG Art Prize, and her paintings are held in public and private collections in Australia and internationally, including the Archdiocese of Brisbane, Australian Catholic University and St Anselm Abbey in the United States.
