Nikolina Kovalenko

Born in Moscow, Russia / Works in Sunset Park, Brooklyn

BIO

Nikolina Kovalenko received her MFA from Moscow Surikov Art Institute (Moscow, Russia) in 2011 and studied at Universität der Künste (Berlin) in 2010. She holds a Gold Medal from the Russian Art Academy. The artist currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

Kovalenko’s exhibition history includes solo shows at Clark Gallery, Caldwell Gallery Hudson and Dacia Gallery among others. The museum shows include group shows at MOMMA (Moscow Museum Of Modern Art) in 2021 and The Russian Museum (Saint Petersburg, Russia) in 2019. Nikolina exhibited in galleries and art fairs in USA, UK, United Arab Emirates, Sweden, Russia, Japan, Germany, France, China, Belgium and Iceland and worked on environmental projects around the world including Brazilian Amazon, Iceland, the Andes, the Caribbean and the Red Sea. Collaborations include projects with Coral Reef Alliance, Museum Week and UNESCO. Through collaborating with scientists on joint lectures, workshops and webinars, the artist strives to share a more creative approach to explaining the fragility of ecosystems and the steps one can take to protect them. She donates part of the proceeds from her selected projects to environmental conservation organizations. Kovalenko’s work has been reviewed in art blogs, newspapers and magazines and is in numerous corporate and private collections worldwide.

I am interested in humanity’s psychological connection with Nature and strive to expose the consequences our everyday actions have on the environment. I work with fragile ecosystems creating artwork inspired by locations specific to each project. My subjects range from global warming, deforestation and coral bleaching, to exploring how Nature is historically incorporated into mythologies and cultural beliefs.