Iryna Akimova
Iryna Akimova was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine. She graduated from Kharkiv
State University. She is the member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine
. Iryna lives and works in Kyiv. She is
the Director of Analytical and Cultural Center NOSEP (New
Socio-Economic Policy- Ukrainian NGO) and the leader of the Ukrainian
Association of Feminine Research in the Arts (UAFRA), a public organization
that she founded in 2017. UAFRA supports women in the arts and advocates gender
equality in the arts.
Iryna works in painting, installations, animation and performance. She is active as an organizer and art curator
of the exhibitions of women artists. Her artworks are in private collections in
Ukraine, Germany, Austria, and China.
I have graduated from the Kharkov State University and got my PhD in
Economics. Presently, I live and work in Kyiv, Ukraine. I started my artistic
career after having a vast experience as a University professor, director of a
research center, and parliamentarian. I am self-taught, and studied art mainly in
the museums. Positive comments on my solo-exhibitions by the famous painter Ivan
Marchuk, as well as successful sales in Phillip’s auction encouraged me and helped
to gain my confidence in the art world. I became a member of the National
Union of Artists of Ukraine, and founded Ukrainian Association of Feminine
Research in the Arts to promote gender equality in the arts.
I am on a continuous search
for “extraordinary in the
ordinary, and the ordinary in the
extraordinary”( Diderot) . I try to
put my life philosophy in my works. It’s the principle of a constructive
compromise and tolerance to a different opinion, empathy for somebody’s pain, search for understanding the
contradictions of the human soul. I am fond of «exercices de style» and experiments. Therefore, in my art projects
expressionistic touch might go together with the stylized cubism, abstractions
or surrealism. I started my artistic
career in painting, and later also went into installations, performance and
video-animation. In my art projects, I like to combine visual arts with music and my own poetry. It helps to go deeper into the subject
of my art research and achieve a multidimensional effect. I had nine solo
exhibitions and participated in almost 40 exhibitions in Ukraine and abroad,
several international auctions. I have
worked to develop my own style, and remain on search for innovative instruments
to express my ideas.
EXHIBITIONS
SOLO
2016 "I am painting the Sky
..", Gallery NUART, Kyiv, Ukraine (www.nuart.com.ua/)
2017 "Nonfictional
Essays", Museum of Books and Printing in Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
2018 "Reflection", Museum
and Exhibition Center "Museum of the History of the City of Kyiv",
Kyiv, Ukraine
2019 «Outside
the windows”, Art-hub of ICF “Jewish Hesed “Bnei Azriel”, Kyiv
2019 «Just Summer!”, Museum of History of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine
2020 “Music”, Museum of History of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine
2021 Art Show International, solo exhibition MUSIC (on-line), Los Angeles,
California
2021 Seasons , solo exhibition , Museum of History of
Kyiv, Kyiv
2021 Music, solo exhibition, National Opera House of
Ukraine, Kyiv
GROUP
2017 “C -squared:
Constructive compromise”, Museum of Books and Printing of Ukraine, Kyiv,
Ukraine
2018 “To you, Madonna ...”, National Museum
"Kyiv Art Gallery", Kyiv, Ukraine
2018 Artfest of
Ukrainian Contemporary Women's Art , Institute for Contemporary Art, Kyiv, Ukraine – Diploma
2018 8th International Exhibition of Traditional
Fine Arts (8th international exhibition of traditional art),Museum of Art
Collections, Shanghai, China
2018 «Art of compromise», second exhibition of Artfest of
Ukrainian contemporary women's art ,
Gallery XXI, Vinnitsa, Ukraine
2018 International
exhibition of contemporary women's art "NUMERI ESSE", Museum and
Exhibition Center "Museum of the History of Kyiv City", Kyiv, Ukraine
2018 “Breath of
Fire", Exhibition of contemporary Ukrainian women's ceramic art , special project "Anima",
TsheGlinArt Gallery, Kyiv, Ukraine
2018 All-Ukrainian
Exhibition For the Artist's Day, Kiev, Gallery of the Kyiv House of Artists of
the National Union of Artists of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
2018 All-Ukrainian
Christmas Exhibition, Central House of Artists of the National Union of Artists
of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
2018 "Feeling
of Freedom", Exhibition dedicated to the International Day of the White
Ribbon, Ukrainian Parliament, Kyiv, Ukraine
2018 "Feeling of
Freedom", Centre for Contemporary Arts, Mariupol, Ukraine
2019 “Windows”, Exhibition of
contemporary women’s art , Museum of History of Kiev, Kyiv, Ukraine
2019 “Nuova Primavera”, Ukrainian Art Fest, Palazzo Velli Expo, Rome, Italy
2019 VIII Ukrainian Art Triennale, Central House of
Artists of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
2019 “Agenda”,
2nd Ukrainian Women’s Art Fest , Institute for Contemporary Art, Kyiv, Ukraine
2019 All-Ukrainian exhibition to the 175 anniversary of Ilya Repin, House of Artists, Kharkiv, Ukraine.
2019 «Contemporaries and the world”, Jewish Cultural Centre"Beit Grand", Odessa, Ukraine
2019 All-Ukrainian exhibition to the Independence day of
Ukraine, Central House of Artists, Kyiv,
Ukraine
2019 « Women in the arts” ,German-Ukrainian exhibition of contemporary art, Villa
Mohr cultural center, Munich, Germany
2019 «Contemporary Ukrainian art: women’s outlook», Museum
of Ukrainian culture in Svidnik ( affiliation
of the Slovak National Museum) , Svidnik, Slovakia
2019 Triennale of abstract art ART AKT, Cultural center “Vernissage” ,
Chernivtsi, Ukraine
2019 Exhibition of
contemporary Ukrainian art “Allowed- Not allowed “, Museum of the History of Kyiv City", Kyiv, Ukraine
2019 “Greek accent- Ukrainian outlook”,
Exhibition of contemporary Ukrainian art , Athens, Ukrainian Embassy in
Greece/ Purple Gallery , Lamia , Greece
2020 «A look through the backstage”,
Exhibition of contemporary Ukrainian art, Museum of History of Kyiv, Kyiv,
Ukraine
2020 The 3d Women’sArtFest SANSARA, Institute
of Modern Art, Kyiv, Ukraine
2020 Re:Creation, Contemporary Ukrainian Art
Project, Govedarou Gallery, Saloniki ,
Greece
2020 All-Ukrainian Christmas
Exhibition, Central House of Artists of the National Union of Artists of
Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
2021 (Spring) Contemporary Istanbul,
International Fair (on-line), Istanbul , Turkey
2021 Stories of love, International
on-line exhibition , Spotlightartcollective, Mumbai, India
2021 Art Show International, First ABSTRACT competition (on-line), Los Angeles, California , Honorable Mention Award
2021 4th OUT and ABOUT, Artfest of
contemporary women’s art,
2021 Art Show
International, Third ABSTRACT competition (on-line), Los Angeles, California , Honorable Mention Award
2021 FEMINITY,TimaxArt Hall, Kyiv
2021 (October) Contemporary Istanbul , International
Fair, Istanbul, Turkey
2021 ART AGAINST VIOLENCE, National Institute of
Modern Art, Kyiv
2021 ART AGINST VIOLENCE, CAM Garibaldi, Milan, Italy
International auctions
December 2018, Philips auction in London, diptych "Quiet alley in the
park"
July 2020, Philips auction NEW NOW in London, “The purifying rain”
