Salt Lakes Print

I am Tetiana Pchelnykova, a Ukrainian artist based in Kyiv. Since 2016, I have been working as a full-time artist and entrepreneur. In 2024, I also began volunteering, offering art classes as a form of support and therapy for women and children affected by the war in Ukraine. My artistic practice is rooted in the deep connection between humanity and nature. I draw upon my cultural heritage and ancestral knowledge, reinterpreting them in a contemporary context to explore themes of resilience, transformation, and harmony with the earth. Through painting, I search for ways to bridge the wisdom of the past with the urgent questions of the present. A central focus of my work is the exploration of texture and materiality. I experiment with unconventional elements such as dried herbs, seeds, and sand, integrating them into layers of oil and acrylic paint. These tactile surfaces allow me to develop my own distinctive visual language—where painting is not only an image but also an object that carries the memory of natural matter. This process transforms each canvas into a living fragment of landscape, where color, form, and texture merge into a sensory experience. By engaging with organic materials, I aim to emphasize the fragile yet enduring bond between humans and nature. My works invite the viewer to reflect on cycles of growth, decay, and renewal, and to consider how deeply we remain connected to the natural world despite the alienation of modern life. Since 2018, my paintings have been exhibited in national and international contexts, including four solo exhibitions. They are held in private collections in the United States, Japan, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Austria. My goal is to continue evolving this dialogue through art—bringing forward a vision where tradition, innovation, and material experimentation intertwine to express both personal identity and universal concerns.