new artist

BIO

Irina Pavlenko (Irisha), an artist from Moscow living in Thailand. She got an academic background in drawing and

painting in the art workshop of Sergei Pavlov (a graduate of the V.I. Surikov Institute and a teacher at the S.G. Stroganov Academy) and after that her free float in the art world began. Now Irina is a member of the Professional Union of Artists of RF. Over the past 10 years, she has tried herself in various areas of creativity, including 3D graphics and 2D illustration. But nevertheless, painting has always been her unchanging love. The artist began to paint in early childhood, but life turned out so that due to an injury, Irina forgot about the brush for 10 long years. And only after graduating from the History Department of Moscow State University, she returned to painting again with new life experience, knowledge and a strong desire to become an artist and make it her profession for the rest of life.

Now her paintings are in private collections in the UK, America and Spain.

ARTIST STATEMENT

In my artistic practice, I explore the boundaries of figurative painting, reactivating classical pictorial traditions within contemporary systems of knowledge. My work combines a strong academic foundation with an illustrative approach, using painting as a tool to examine self-awareness and personal identity.

I draw inspiration from personal recollections and source imagery, investigating the fragile interplay between reality, memory, and imagination. Through the material qualities of paint and the expressive potential of color, I seek to emphasize the presence of a silent interlocutor beyond the canvas, evoking the hazy, elusive nature of remembrance.

In a world shaped by technology and consumerism, my paintings assert a quiet resistance. They reflect a fundamental human desire to feel alive, present, and real. Through my work, I aim to capture what makes us human and to emphasize the importance of preserving our individual uniqueness.

EDUCATION

V.I. Surikov Institute

RECENT EXHIBITIONS & PURBLICATION

May 8 - 22, 2026 - MEAM Hall in Florence

December 12 - April 26, 2026 - MEAM Hall in Barcelona

February 2025 — group show “FEMALE APPROACH”, at

BONNARD GALLERY, Netherlands

November 2024 – Exhibition

during the Venice Biennale , Venice

“TOGETTHERE with a Woman”

September 2024 - The Almenara Art Prize online exhibition

March 2024 - Art Russia 2024

November 2023 - Artlife Fest 2023 in the Manege

November 2022 - Laureate of the International Academy of

Contemporary Arts. ART EXCELLENCE AWARDS -2022. The

bronze medal of the competition.

September 2022 - Russian Art Award of Tretyakov gallery

July 2022 – 1st place St. Petersburg Art Week. Nomination :

FigurativismApril 2022 - exhibition at URBANFRESCO Gallery, Moscow

project Kunstgegenpolitik. "ART OUTSIDE POLITICS.

INDEPENDENT ART PROJECT"

February 2022 - bronze medalist Camelback Gallery

INTERNATIONAL JURIED VISUAL ARTS COMPETITION

PUBLICATIONS

The Guide Artists book (2026 release)

Art Agent

Art Muse Magazine

Art Life Magazine