"The clouds came" Painting

Olena Yanko is a contemporary Ukrainian artist based in Kyiv whose work explores the emotional atmosphere of nature through color, rhythm, and movement.
Born in 1989 in Netishyn, Ukraine, she holds a Master’s degree in Architecture from Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture. Her architectural background shapes her sensitivity to space, composition, and balance.

Olena creates expressive abstract landscapes inspired by nature and fleeting impressions of travel. Rather than depicting specific places, her paintings evoke the emotional memory of landscapes — shifting skies, open fields, wind, and light.

Her painting process is intuitive and spontaneous. Working with direct brushwork and expressive color fields, she allows the image to emerge gradually, inviting viewers to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with a sense of calm and inner space.

Alongside her studio practice, Olena also works in public art. She is the initiator and one of the co-founders of the international public art project Flowers for Hope, created in collaboration with American artist Trek Thunder Kelly. The project brings symbolic imagery inspired by nature into urban space, reflecting themes of dignity, solidarity, and the value of peace.

Her work has been featured in Forbes Ukraine (2022) and on the cover of National Geographic Japan (2023). Her paintings are held in private collections internationally.