Kateryna Lysovenko is a Ukrainian artist and one of the leading, arguably most significant, contemporary female artists.

Summary of Kateryna Lysovenko

Lysovenko's art spans various mediums, including monumental painting, traditional painting, drawing, and text. Her practice revolves around the themes of power, violence, propaganda, dreams, and utopia.

Biography of Kateryna Lysovenko

The artist was born in Kyiv in 1989. She pursued her artistic education at Grekov Art College in Odesa (2008–2013) and the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture in Kyiv. Currently, she is advancing her studies in the class of postconceptual art professor Marina Gržinić in Vienna, Austria.

Lysovenko’s paintings have been showcased in numerous solo and group exhibitions around the world, including those at the Ludwig Museum, the Museum Ephraim-Palais, the Estonian Museum of Contemporary Art - EKKM, The Naked Room, Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, and many other galleries and institutions. Her works have been featured and reviewed by The New York Times, Financial Times, ArtDaily, e-flux, Vogue Polska, and others.

Currently, she resides in Vienna, Austria.

Kateryna Lysovenko’s Famous Paintings: Exploring Power, Violence, and Propaganda

The artwork of Lysovenko has several recurring themes, including biblical imagery, mythological motifs, and metaphors of humans as beasts. Through her art, she explores these subjects to challenge ideologies that use power to perpetrate violence.

Among Lysovenko’s original paintings are “Earthly and Heavenly Love” (2021), “One of the Possible Horizontality” (2021), “Babies Birds, Baby Horse and Baby Lion” (2021), and “Common Good” (2021). Other notable works include “Resting on the Monument of Friendship of People” (2021), “Something Similar Definitely Happens to Those Who Do Art and Those Who Look at Art and Many Others” (2021), “Baby Snake and Baby Swallow” (2021), and many more. Kateryna Lysovenko’s paintings for sale are available on the UFDA website. 

Kateryna Lysovenko’s Art Style

Her practice examines the relationship between ideology and painting, exploring how the image of the victim is constructed in both politics and art. Her work bridges traditions and inspirations that span from the past to the present. She views painting as a powerful language, capable of both being manipulated and liberated. 

Kateryna’s art often features ancient and metaphorical imagery: people—sometimes even Lysovenko herself or her children—transform into animals or become part of the ecosystem. In an interview with Zaborona, the artist explains that this is a story of both fascination and disillusionment with ancient culture. The artist uses these images to oppose ideologies—not only those produced by the state, but also those that use power for violence or the dehumanization of certain social groups.