Artist Statement
Nikolina is interested in humanity’s vanishing connection with Nature and strives to expose the consequences our everyday actions have on the environment.
Her work explores the symbolism of textures found in Nature, magnifying the mundane and transforming it into the sublime.
Kovalenko works with fragile ecosystems creating artwork inspired by locations specific to each project. Her subjects range from global warming, deforestation and coral bleaching, to processing and interpreting visual landscape and cultural associations.
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 New York City.
Kovalenko’s exhibition history includes solo shows at Gitana Rosa Gallery and Dacia Gallery, along with many group shows at Cheryl Hazan Contemporary, Townsend Modern/Contemporary, Mayson Gallery, Select Art Fair, 212 Arts, Andrew Edlin Gallery, Aureus Contemporary, Drawing Rooms, Erarta Gallery, and Museum of Russian Art(NJ) among others.
In 2014 she attended LMCC "Artist Summer Institute".
Nikolina was a resident artist at ESKFF(NJ) and Fish Factory Residency (Iceland).
Kovalenko’s work has been reviewed in art blogs, newspapers and
Magazines and is in numerous corporate and private collections
worldwide.