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"I cannot exist ... without something bigger than me, something that fills my whole life - without creative power ..."Vincent Van Gogh


Hi! My name is Katya Kononenko. I am a Ukrainian contemporary artist. I was born in 1989, Kyiv region. I have been living in Lithuania since the full-scaled war started in Ukraine. I work and live in Vilnius now. Before the war, I lived and worked in Kyiv.
I create abstract art. My media are oil, acrylic, mixed media on canvas, and feather, ink on paper. 
I`ve studied color and art therapy. I believe that contemporary art is the same art therapy for creators as for visitors. The process of creating an artwork is a collaboration, experiment of the idea, selected materials, and spiritualistic reflection of the product of creativity. The result of the work is created art object and transformed reality outside and inside of me. 
The leading research themes and inspiration for me are archetypes, ego-states, deep emotions, and existential issues. Existential crises during the Ukrainian-russian war are the main themes in my art today.

2012 - Master`s Degree, Faculty of Psychology, Kyiv National University named Taras Shevchenko, Ukraine

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Untitled

Untitled Series is about pure emotions - pain, frustration, exploring physical contact between me and canvas.

I let myself.

I decided to share my inner state without understanding what is the state about. I tried to materialize it. I used art as a visual for my discomfort. Itā€™s very hard to live alone in a foreign country. Itā€™s hard to build a life from scratch.

Colors, art help me not to lose my mind and motivation for life and victory.

Dichotomies

The project is about 2 realities: war and non-war. Here, in Europe, the space is safe and full of life. But Ukraine is on fire. The war is continuing each moment. I can`t be out of this news. My inner space is full of emotional chaos, and ambivalent feelings. I can feel the pain and joy at the same time. During the day I can get very sad news, such as my friend has died in a war, or extra exciting like I won a grant or sold a painting. All these controversial feelings live inside of me and accumulate. Then splash!
I am exploring my dichotomic feelings and thoughts through abstract art. Because the art process is a transforming reality and a therapy process. The "Dichotomies" is a project of my deeper existential issues of Freedom, Finding yourself in a new society, Life, and Death.

Ornaments

In the project ā€œOrnamentsā€ I research colours and ornaments. How the colour of the background influences the colour of the ornament. How they are connected to each other, in what feelings a viewer can be involved by colours. Also, an ornament is a traditional national art in each country. I am trying to be closer to Ukraine through my paintings.