Nataliia Deineka

Nataliia Deineka is a visual artist and illustrator born in 1983 in Ukraine. She
received degree in Ukrainian Philology from Eastern Slavic University and degree in Decorative Applied Arts from Rivnean State Humanitarian University.
Till 2022 Nataliia worked as an artist and a teacher of Arts in her studio in Rivne.
She appreciates working with children and for children, as she considers it the most interesting and important. In her works, she addresses the fabulous imaginary world of the inner child that lives in everyone. During the last year Deineka has been highlighting the topic of self-identification, spirituality and national identity in her works, and returning to the children’s theme, she is starting work on bilingual Finnish-Ukrainian books for children.


While at the HIAP residency, I plan to draw illustrations and write short texts for three bilingual Finnish-Ukrainian books for children, since I won a grant to publish these books.
In August I will participate in the anti-war exhibition “Stop” with my work “Diary of the war”. My main focus right now is still what is happening in Ukraine. In June I will attend icon painting courses, because sacred painting has been of interest to me for a long time.
I also have two projects in mind that will help me understand myself better. When they will be ready, I’d like to show them during summer exhibition in Turun Taiteen Talo, if there would be such an opportunity.

Natalia Deineka is currently in-residence at Värtsilä Art Residency for the period July 2022-June 2023. Deineka’s residency is realised in the context of the Ukraine Solidarity Residencies programme.

The current partners of the programme are AARK, Art Centre Salmela, Connecting Points programme, Fairres, Goethe-Institut Finnland, HIAP – Helsinki International Artist Programme, Kristinestad Art Residency, Loviisa Art Support Association, Nelimarkka Museum, Pro Artibus, Tahmelan Huvila, The Finnish Artists’ Studio Foundation, The Finnish Illustration Association Kuvittajat, and Värtsilä Artist Residency. The continuation of the programme is possible due to the support of Kone Foundation and Nordic Culture Point.