Featured Artist of the Month: April 2020
Art & Nature
Brooklyn-based artist Nikolina Kovalenko 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.
We had the chance to chat with her and learn more about her inspirations and process.
Q: Tell us more about yourself: where did you grow up and study?
I grew up in Moscow and received my masters in Fine Art from Surikov Art Institute. I was also an exchange student in Universidad Der Kunste in Berlin. I currently live and paint in Brooklyn, NY.
Q: When did you first decide you wanted to be an artist? How do you think your upbringing and personal life have affected your work and art?
Both of my parents and my grandfather are artists, ever since I was a little kid the happiest times were playing with their art materials and looking through art history books. I never really considered doing anything else professionally. I feel very lucky to be able to focus on what I love, and every time I touch a brush and make a brushstroke it recharges me.
As for the personal life, I’ve always been very fortunate to be surrounded with inspiring people who understand the importance of creativity in my life, and with whom I could discuss new ideas, dive deep into philosophy and plot new projects.
Q: Tell us more about your interest in nature and why it is your primary subject? Can you describe your creative process — do you usually work directly in/from nature or use photographs, etc?
My subject matter is almost uniquely nature (not necessarily a traditional landscape, but often more zoomed in textures, to the point where they become almost abstract). I explore our philosophical connection with nature and often think of places evoking certain thoughts and emotions as you bond with them. I find inspiration in rainforests, mountains, glaciers, waves, and recently got my scuba diving license to work on more projects related to coral bleaching. I usually start with a quick sketch I do on the spot, and then when I work on the larger pieces in the studio I also refer to photographs to fill in some details. Writing is becoming a huge part of my art practice as well, it’s usually a short essay or haiku I also write on the spot.
Q. What do you hope people will do, think or feel when they see your art?
I hope it makes them stop for a second and realize that the world around us is so much more diverse than we think, and it needs our love and protection. That there’s beauty in everything nature related. That our everyday actions have consequences. That our normal is not everyone else’s normal. That every minute in this incredible world is a privilege, and we should take time to appreciate it.
Q. You just went on a long and incredible journey — tell us where you went, what you did, what was the purpose of the trip, etc?
I just returned from my 6 months backpacking trip through South American, and it was an incredible journey full of internal and external discoveries. It seems like an entirely new life fit into these months, but at the same time it flew by so fast.
I started in Colombia, and went around South America counterclockwise, through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, and finished in the North East of Brazil. I hiked the most spectacular mountains in Patagonia, went all the way to Ushuaia (aka The End Of The World, as it’s the southern most point of the continental South America), explored indigenous cultures, melted into the sand of Brazilian beaches, danced under the rhythms of salsa and samba, met inspiring people, and, of course, painted everything that amazed me. For example, in Peru I created a series of watercolors called “Mujeres con Alpacas” (Women with Alpacas). I love how every village kept their distinctive authentic traditions and costumes, but they all have Alpacas as mascots! You can follow the #sketchingthroughsouthamerica for the art created during this journey, or @Nika.k.art for photos of the places and descriptions of the experiences.
Q. What do you love most about being an artist and what is the most challenging?
I love everything about being an artist-it’s a powerful tool to express my thoughts and emotions, to make a difference. Creativity is something that no one can take away from me, it guides me through better and worse. The most challenging part are the days when I’m being hard on myself and not happy with what I create, then I feel that my life has no meaning, but every artist has these times of creative self-depreciation, this is when we grow.
Q. What plans do you have for your work and life now that you have returned from South America?
This trip brought me so much inspiration and a deeper understanding of myself. Now that I’m back I just can’t stop painting-I accumulated so much inspiration, impressions along with visual and emotional material. Right now I’m working on a series of large paintings about coral bleaching. During my trip I got my PADI license and learned underwater photography, which allowed me to collect all the material I needed for this project. The paintings are very elaborate and it will take a while before a finished body of work emerges, but I wake up every morning so excited to pick up the brush and relive those moments of fascination with the underwater world.
A selection of drawings from Nika’s recent travels - make sure to check out all of her beautiful, nature-inspired work on her site here.
