Krystyna Kikhno

Krystyna Kikhno is a young Ukrainian artist whose works explore existential questions through painting, graphics, and photography. In her practice, she turns to fragile states of being, balancing between the tangible and the mystical, capturing corporeal vulnerability with a restrained palette and subtle symbolism.

Kikhno's practice is rooted in reflections on fragility and transcendence. She often employs natural and animal motifs as metaphors for the human soul, mortality, and inner sensitivity. With an earthy, monochromatic palette and delicate transparency, her works become meditative explorations of impermanence and quiet resilience.

Born in 2004 in Kyiv, Krystyna Kikhno studied painting at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture before choosing an independent path after her third year of studies. This step marked the beginning of her own artistic journey, beyond academic frameworks.

She lives and works in Kyiv, maintaining a studio at the Institute of Automation. Her practice combines painting, graphic experiments, and photography, through which she investigates fragility, transformation, and the hidden layers of human experience.

In 2025, Kikhno participated in the group exhibition "Hortus conclusus" ("Enclosed Garden") at the art space "Kut", affirming her presence in the emerging Ukrainian art scene.

Among her notable recent works is "Deeply Calm" (2024). In this piece, the body of a lamb is rendered as delicate and almost translucent, becoming a meditation on mortality and peace. Though lifeless in its physical form, the image conveys a lingering presence, hinting at the endurance of spirit beyond materiality. The soft layering of tones emphasizes the beauty of impermanence, where tenderness and pain intertwine. The work embodies Kikhno's poetic voice — one that finds strength in fragility.

Other significant Krystyna Kikhno's works include "Dissolved" (2024), "Rooted" (2024), "Never Let Me Down" (2024), "Breathing from Within" (2025), "The Flowers Are Smoldering" (2025), among others. These digitized pieces are available for sale on the UFDA website.

Kikhno's style is marked by a subdued, earthy palette, transparent layers, and compositions infused with emotional delicacy. She often turns to natural and animal imagery — lambs, plants, organic textures — as symbols of tenderness, vulnerability, and inner states of the human being.

Her works do not seek classical beauty; instead, they affirm vulnerability as a form of strength. Balancing material presence with an atmosphere of the mystical, she creates subtle yet powerful reflections on existence. As part of a new generation of Ukrainian artists, Kikhno gives voice to themes of corporeality and spirituality, resonating deeply with the sensibilities of our present time.