Aliya Bodnar

I create because art is my voice - the one that survived when words couldn’t. Painting became my way to speak, to heal, and to connect. Watercolour is my language of honesty: it doesn’t tolerate pressure, it reveals truth through softness.

My work explores the fragile rhythm of modern life against the timeless presence of architecture and nature. Through layers of light and pigment, I pause fleeting moments - reflections on stone, whispers of cities, the stillness between movements. Each piece is a dialogue between memory and the present, between silence and visibility.

I paint as an act of gentle resistance - to noise, to haste, to the inherited idea that beauty must come from struggle. My paintings are not about perfection but about attention - the kind that heals by simply noticing.

For me, watercolour is both meditation and protest, both tenderness and strength. It teaches me trust: to let go of control, to allow flow, to breathe. Through it, I reclaim my own balance - and invite the viewer to find theirs.

Although I don’t hold a formal art degree, creativity has always been the core of my life. My academic background is in commerce, yet art has been my native language since childhood - a way to observe, feel, and communicate.

Since 2020, I’ve been actively developing my artistic practice through online courses and masterclasses with renowned watercolorists. These studies have helped me refine my technique, experiment with materials, and strengthen my authentic voice.

My journey proves that discipline, curiosity, and emotional honesty can shape an artist as much as any institution. I continue to learn and evolve, blending traditional methods with a contemporary sensitivity that defines my work today.

EXHIBITIONS

2025 | Between Worlds, Taras Shevchenko National Museum, Kyiv, Ukraine
2025 | Solo: Heritage in Watercolour: Stories from Kent , Rochester, UK.
2025 | Nucleus Arts Summer Exhibition, Chatham, UK.
2025 | Medway Open Studios, Rochester, UK.
2025 | Art for Peace, Gillingham, UK.
2025 | Taste, Rochester, UK.
2025 | The Urban Lens, Tbilisi, Georgia.
2025 | March, Living Artists Contemporary Art Auction, LiveAuctioneers.
2024 | Vogue Seventh Edition, London, UK.

COMPETITIONS AND AWARDS

2025 | GRAND-FINAL ART IV, UK
2024 | World Talent Award, London, UK
2024 | Golden Time Talent International Art Contest, Season 57, UK
2023 | Golden Time Talent International Art Contest, Season 49, UA