Elena Kuzenko

Elena (Olena) Kuzenko is a Ukrainian contemporary painter based in Odesa, working primarily in oil on linen canvas. Her expressive figurative realism combines classical painting techniques with symbolic narratives about vulnerability, love, moral responsibility, inner balance, and hope.
Living and working in Ukraine during the war has deepened her exploration of safety, human connection, and the strength we find in one another. Through contrasts of warm and cold light, expressive colour, and carefully chosen symbols, she gives visible form to intimate emotional experiences. Each painting invites viewers to look beyond the scene and discover the human story within it.
Kuzenko holds a university degree in Germanic Philology, specialising in English, from Odesa I. I. Mechnikov National University. Her background in language and literature informs her sensitivity to metaphor and storytelling. Her artistic development includes studies with Richard Robinson, specialised online art courses, and sustained independent study of anatomy and the techniques of the Old Masters.
In 2026, her paintings Passion and Cocoon of Safety were selected for NO LIMITS: ART OF FREEDOM at Golden Duck Gallery in Budapest, where she received an Award of Excelle...

Odesa I. I. Mechnikov National University, Ukraine — University degree in Germanic Philology, specialising in English.
2022 and 2024 — My Painting Club, Richard Robinson: studies in painting, colour, light, and composition.
2020–2021 — Khudozhnik Online Art School: coursework in drawing, portraiture, colour, composition, and oil painting; certificates of completion.
Ongoing — Independent study of artistic anatomy and classical painting techniques, including master-copy practice after Rembrandt, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, and John Singer Sargent.

2026 — NO LIMITS: ART OF FREEDOM, Golden Duck Gallery, Budapest, Hungary, 6 October–14 November. International group exhibition featuring two original paintings: Passion and Cocoon of Safety.
2026 — Generations of War: The Fifth Year, Plaça del Virrei Amat, Barcelona, Spain, within the XII Ucrania Fest, 15–21 September. Organised by ADRUM; selected paintings The Candle of Hope and Prayer Among the Ruins presented as reproductions.
2026 — Generations of War, international exhibition programme, Khreshchatyi Park, Kyiv, Ukraine; participation in the XX and XXI PAINT UA ,MALUY UA international art festivals.
2026 — Wings, Birds and Flight, No. 35 Gallery. Curated international online exhibition featuring The Guide; selected from over 1,500 submissions, with exhibiting artists representing 85 countries.
2026 — Animal Kingdom, CEV Art Gallery, 31 August–30 October. International juried online exhibition featuring The Night Visitor.
2026 — Chromatic: An Exhibition of Color & Abstract Expression, CEV Art Gallery, 18 July–30 September. International juried online exhibition featuring The Guide.
2026 — Under the Surface — Second Edition, Clover Gallery, 24 August–21 September. Curated international online group exhibition featuring Th...