Issue No.135 Interview with Alina Altukhova

9 min readNov 3, 2024

In this issue we interviewed a great artist from the U.S.A. Alina Altukhova.

Biography

Alina Altukhova is a 38 year-old American abstract artist and architect of Ukrainian-Bulgarian descent, with a European education, currently residing in California.
Her love for art led her to architecture: from creating her first projects and interior designs to being a two-time scholarship recipient of the International Visegrad Fund and a PhD student, a lecturer at the Czech Technical University in Prague, and a winner of international architectural competitions. Alina has traveled a long journey as a researcher in search of beauty and its value in the modern world.
Alina was born and raised in Ukraine, where she earned a master’s degree in architecture. In 2011, she moved to the Czech Republic with the support of the International Visegrad Fund. From 2017 to 2022, she worked as a lecturer and provided private lessons in drawing and graphics.
International publications, participation in conferences, and her background allow Alina to view the same things from different perspectives and see beauty not only on the outside but also on the inside. She actively studies the philosophy and issues of brand significance, explores the concept of Price and Value in the modern world, and is developing the project for her first solo exhibition.
In 2022, Alina moved to California, where she began her career as an artist. She works in her home studio, makes sketches while traveling, and combines this with working on her dissertation in architecture.
Alina’s works are in private collections in the USA, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Norway.
She has Master of Architecture, working on her PhD thesis in architecture.

2-for how many years you’re a painter?

I’ve been painting and drawing since childhood, but in 2022, when I moved to California, I began my career as an artist.

3- what makes you paint?

I have always been intuitively drawn to doing things related to art. In both life and art, I am happy to do what I love and consider it work. Painting and creating art is my special type of meditation. This is my way of talking to the world about my feelings, expressing my feelings and unloading my feelings onto the canvas. Each painting is my emotions and my energy that I send out into the world.

Questions of price and value, and the beauty of the external and internal worlds in modern life, are the dialogue I engage in with the viewer, following the replication and copying seen in Andy Warhol’s pop art.

The ideal has become mainstream today. In contrast, I seek individuality through painting, projects, and installations.

I reflect the conflict between uniqueness and redundancy by working with empty branded packaging materials. The symbol of modern beauty is an empty branded box. It loses its value without its contents.

I see fashion brands as art with deep meaning and history. Icons of style, cult items, their signature, recognizability, and energy fascinate me. At the same time, the text I introduce on the canvas refers to graffiti and street art, amplifying the conflict between the elite and the mass.

Using the technique of appropriation, I create my visual language through upcycling – creating collages and installations. In many works, I replace the canvas with expensive branded bags, which completely changes their original purpose and gives the paintings additional meanings.

Since my studies at the Faculty of Architecture, I have been fascinated by coloristic and visual perception, the influence of color on a person and art therapy. I love working with acrylic paints, and pink is present almost in every piece as a symbol of tenderness, a woman’s inner beauty, and cotton candy, a symbol of nostalgia for childhood.

4- what inspires you?

My feelings that I experience at one time or another inspires me when I come into contact with something in this world visually or physically... These can be sensations or impressions. I inspired by nature, colors, and smells. Artists and their stories, brands and beauty objects inspire me. Objects or images from films and books that have a deep meaning, history, energy, inspire me. I can say that absolutely everything that makes me feel an energy connection inspires me.

5- what makes you keep going in art?

I can't stop painting. I have big plans for the next few years for my art projects and exhibitions. I believe in art and I believe that I can bring new feelings to the contemporary art market, as well as feelings and energy that people can feel connecting to my art.

6- why art?

I speak only four languages out of thousands of possible languages, so art for me is a universal magical language outside of time and outside of the system. Art is something eternal, where there are no frames and restrictions. It is a powerful visual language in which the artist speaks to the world.
Old masters speak to us after 100 or 500 years... I don't know about you, but sometimes I cry in museums when I come into contact with something great, more than just paintings, the energy is overwhelming, it's so beautiful. This is a priceless experience!

7- do you come from an artsy family?

Not really, but my father was working as an artist and had his own studio in his younger days, later he went to study economics in university, it was more common that time.
My father first opened the doors to the world of art for me. Since childhood he took me to museums, exhibitions, introduced me to artists, photographers and he supported me when I decided to enter the architecture faculty. My grandmother is also a very creative person, she taught shoe design technology at the university (hence my love for shoes). She taught me to sew on a machine, embroider, knit, crochet, process leather and make patterns.

8- who’s your favorite artist of all time?

I have several of them: Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Gustav Klimt and Andy Warhol with Jean-Michel Basquiat.

9- how does your country respond to art?

I would like to say about Ukraine, the country where I was born and raised. We have very ancient cultural traditions, empathetic to art in its various manifestations. I adore national art as well as contemporary Ukrainian artists who inspire me a lot, honest art.

10- how do you separate your personal life with your art or work ?

My life is art and art is my life and work. I am inextricably linked with art and creativity. My art is a reflection of my feelings, emotions, views on life, the visual language I speak. Interaction with the surrounding world, self-expression, a way of communicating with people without reference to the location, language and time.

11- what is your favorite piece of art of yours?

OUT OF THE BOX
series: Crazy about Tiffany’s, 2023
76x76 cm | 30x30"
acrylic on canvas / collage / acrylic markers
My favorite artwork is OUT OF THE BOX from Crazy about Tiffany’s series.
I am very happy that just recently, in October 2024, I was able to personally present this painting to the audience at The Other Art Fair, Brooklyn in New York.
This painting has a very personal meaning for me, since the first time I read the book ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’, when I was 19 and later inspired by Audrey Hepburn’s character in the ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ iconic film, I strive through my art to remind women that true beauty lies in imperfection, and nothing external can replace the beauty of the inner world. Nothing can feel beautiful if there is no beauty within.
Audrey Hepburn (Holly Golightly) became a style icon, portrayed in the film and described in the book as IMPERFECT. This is what I aim to show modern women – that it’s okay to be imperfect, it’s okay to desire and allow yourself to have expensive things that you admire. What is NOT okay is to copy on autopilot.

12- what’s your favorite movie and series?

My favorite movie is definitely Breakfast at Tiffany's based on the 1958 novella by Truman Capote. As for series, I don't really watch TV, but my second favorite series after ‘Sex and the City’, is ‘Emily in Paris’.

13- what’s your favorite color?

All shades of pink

14- a piece of advice for the beginners?!

Don’t be afraid to do what brings you pleasure, don’t stop learning, because art is a fascinating process, it’s a path through which you develop and learn about yourself. Listen only to your inner voice and don't let society/other people confuse you.

15- what would you be if you weren’t an artist ?

I’m already an architect and interior designer, I also wanted to be a fashion designer.
I think being an artist brings all my passions together.

16- what would you change in art world if you could?

Introduce children to art as early as possible and have a more specialized, in-depth subject about art in schools so that children understand that art is not only the Mona Lisa.

17- your opinion on the future of the world of art ?!

We live in an amazing time when everything is possible in the art world. I like to watch what is happening in the art world and I like that society is still involved in art, the queues at museums and exhibitions are proof of this.

18- how did you become an artist?

I've been painting and drawing since childhood, but in 2022, when I moved to California, I began my career as an artist.

19- why have you chosen this genre of painting?

In my paintings, abstract art meets pop art and fashion. I have chosen this genres, because there are no rules, I feel free to create anything I like.

20- What do you wanna say through your art and paintings ?

I talk about my feelings, about certain emotions that I experience. Even if I talk about Barbie or Tiffany, for me it is not just a doll or not just jewelry, it is philosophy, depth, brand energy and history. I see fashion brands as art with deep meaning and history. Icons of style, cult items, their signature, recognizability, and energy fascinate me. At the same time, the text I introduce on the canvas refers to graffiti and street art, amplifying the conflict between the elite and the mass. I also talk about what beauty is. Often it is not what people are used to seeing.

21- what’s been your biggest challenge as an artist?

Participation at The Other Art Fair Brooklyn, New York in October 2024, where I prepared and organized everything in a very short time, flew to NY with a huge box full of my paintings. It was very challenging, but I am super happy and grateful I made it!

22-do you like anything to add?

Art is everywhere.

Upcoming Shows (known for now)
February 20-23, 2025 — Frieze Los Angeles, Santa Monica, USA
February-March, 2025 — The Other Art Fair, Santa Monica, USA
December 2025 — Art Basel Miami, USA