Olena Sem

Olena Sem is a Ukrainian-born contemporary figurative painter based in Geneva, Switzerland. Working predominantly in oil, her practice brings the compositional theatre of historical painting into dialogue with a loose, expressive contemporary language. Her paintings move between figuration and abstraction, using gesture, distortion, colour, broken contours and richly varied surfaces to explore individuality, vulnerability and unconventional forms of beauty.

Olena Sem studied at the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Art in Ukraine, where she built a strong foundation in drawing, composition, and painting. She further developed her practice through private mentorship with internationally recognized painters, refining a style that combines technical discipline with expressive freedom.

Olena Sem's recent exhibitions include annual exhibition of Visarte Genève at Espace Ruine, Geneva (2025), Voyages et Portraits at Chapelle des Arts, Geneva (2025), and a group exhibition at Galerie Influence, Geneva (2024). Her work was also shown at Art in the Open in Wexford, Ireland (2023), Rencontres in Geneva, and the 162nd annual exhibition of the Society of Women Artists at Mall Gallery, London (2023).