Artworks by Yuliia Naumenko

I am a Ukrainian artist based in Szczecin, Poland. Before becoming a full-time artist, I studied space engineering and spent many years raising my four children and working as an English tutor. I discovered painting later in life, after I became a refugee, when I began searching for a way to reconnect with the home I had lost. Painting became that space for me. Through art, I explore memory, identity, and the questions I continue to carry. My work is deeply rooted in Ukrainian culture and nature. I create symbolic figurative paintings inspired by folk traditions and embroidery, not as a way of preserving folklore, but as a way of returning to my roots and reconnecting with my cultural memory. At the same time, I explore womanhood and the strength that is passed from one generation of women to the next. Hand embroidery is an important part of my practice. By stitching directly into the canvas, I connect contemporary painting with a traditional craft that has carried stories and symbols through generations. Alongside this body of work, I create paintings that explore our inner emotional landscape through animal symbolism, particularly wolves and foxes. Although these series look different, they both reflect my interest in resilience, identity, and the connection between people and the natural world. I work primarily with acrylic on canvas, often combining painting with hand embroidery. I enjoy working on medium and large formats because they give me space to build symbolic details and create layered narratives. I am a self-taught artist and have been actively developing my practice through exhibitions and open calls. My work has been shown in group exhibitions in Poland, including group exhibitions at Enter Gallery in 13 Muz, Szczecin and Kobieca Strona Sztuki VI - Juried & Curated Group Exhibition in Warsaw. I have also exhibited digitally through Artboxy. I’m applying to Artfinder because I want to connect with people who are looking for art with a personal story and a strong sense of place and identity. As I continue to grow as an artist, I hope to share my work with collectors around the world who find something of their own stories in it.