Karyna Kalinka

Karyna Kalinka was born in Belarus and works in abstract painting. She studied at the Belarusian State Academy of Arts. She currently lives in Poland and continues her studies at the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław.


Artist statement

Abstraction interests me because of its unlimited possibilities for imagination, for conveying emotions, and for making it possible to see something only here, in a specific work. I strive for true abstraction, for authenticity that has no associations with reality whatsoever.

In my works, I look for depth by working not on the surface, but within it. I am most interested in themes connected with the inner world of human beings, their emotions and experiences. I want to give people the opportunity to see feelings, sounds, and the process of life itself. I ask myself how one can render the feeling of walking. The mere striking of the foot on the ground. The taste of sensation. My works deal with tingling on the skin, the feeling of touch, or various emotions. The simplest everyday actions.

The most important goal for me in art is to make the invisible visible through a profound exploration of the human inner world and consciousness. The creative process itself is the result of this exploration.


I draw inspiration from everyday life, look for themes in my own body, and observe emotions and transitions between them. I create my own abstract language through which I communicate with the viewer.

A characteristic feature of my works is the creation of space. I pay special attention to the question of space in abstraction and want to create unique painterly portals that allow the viewer to immerse themselves in the world I have created.


She has participated in various exhibitions, competitions, and residencies. Some of her works are in the Russian Museum of Modern Art.


Education

• 2013–2015 – Belarusian State Technical University, field of study: Architecture
• 2016–2020 – Belarusian State Academy of Arts, field of study: Painting
• 2021–2024 – Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław, field of study: Painting

Group exhibitions:

• Exhibition of Belarusian students in Poland, “Sztuczna koma” (Artificial Coma), Multicultural Center in Warsaw, 2022
• “Wiwat 406”, Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts, Wrocław, 2023
• “Pod swoją flagą” (Under Our Flag), “U Kosałki” Gallery, Wrocław, 2023
• “W Formie” (In Form), Czasoprzestrzeń, Wrocław, 2023
• Group exhibition of Studio 209, Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts, Wrocław, 2023
• “Abroad”, Gallery of Open Art Studios, Wrocław, 2024

Solo exhibitions:

• “Abstract Landscape”, Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts “Pod nosem”, Wrocław, 2023
• “Abstract in Stone”, Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts, Wrocław, 2023
• “Inner World”, Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts, Wrocław, 2024

Competitions:

“Postures”, group exhibition at “Mia Art Gallery”, Wrocław, 2023
“Postures”, group exhibition at “Mia Art Gallery”, Wrocław, 2024
International Student Drawing Triennial 2023 – The Fourth Dimension of Drawing, group exhibition at “Rondo Sztuki” Gallery, Katowice

Residencies:

“Wieża 2018”, Museum of Contemporary Ethnic Art, Elabuga State Museum-Reserve, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia
“Wieża 2019”, Museum of Contemporary Ethnic Art, Elabuga State Museum-Reserve, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia

Collections:

Three paintings created during the “Wieża” residency in the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Ethnic Art, Elabuga State Museum-Reserve, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia