Olga Korenieva

My name is Olga Korenieva. By education, I am a metallurgical engineer, but painting entered my life quietly and without permission. There were no decisions, no plans. One day I simply realized that not painting was painful. And once I started, I couldn't stop.

My first solo exhibition took place in the city of Enerhodar — before the occupation. That was the first time I saw my works on walls and understood that I was real. That it was more than a hobby. That I could. That exhibition became a point of self-recognition for me.

“InnerSan,” my second solo exhibition, represents a different version of myself — one that creates during wartime. These paintings were made during the full-scale war — not because I was inspired, but because I needed not to fade away. Everything around is tense, painful, unstable. But inside — something glows. And I simply allow it to come out through color, rhythm, impulse, and canvas.

These works don’t tell specific stories or depict events. I don’t illustrate — I transmit states. They are not “about something,” they are from someone. From me. From my present body, heart, breath.

There is movement, expression, contrast, intuition. And perhaps each viewer will see something personal in them — because I d...

Solo exhibition "City of Butterflies," 2017, city Enerhodar, Ukraine.
Solo exhibition "Inner Sun" 2025, city Zaporizhya, Ukraine.