We recently connected with Oxana Kovalchuk and have shared our conversation below.

Oxana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Here I would like to mention my newest project that is still a work in progress. Tentatively, I call it ‘Comfort Zone’. The main goal is to identify, analyze, and present the ways in which immigrants overcome cultural and social barriers, creating new “comfort zones.” The project seeks to reveal the diversity of immigrant experiences and facilitate dialogue between cultures, enriching both the art community and society as a whole with an understanding of migration processes and their impact on individual and collective identity

The project will involve approximately 100 respondents through surveys and in-depth interviews over the course of a year to collect data on their personal adaptation experiences. The research aims to identify the methods, objects, techniques, and communities that play a key role in the adaptation process

Based on the collected data and stories of the respondents, a series of mixed media artworks on the themes of migration, adaptation, and human resilience will be created

To date, I have interviewed 28 participants and have started work on 5 pieces of art.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a visual artist based in New York. I was born in Kazakhstan – the country that is not familiar for many people.
I lived in four countries and a few years ago my family and I settled in the USA where I decided to pursue my artist career – in 2019, I graduated from the School of Visual Arts, New York.

Being an immigrant, the themes of transformation, resilience, memory, psychological and cultural challenges of immigration, and adaptability to change are key to me. The bodies of work that I created to date, deal with these topics. With a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, I’m integrating my knowledge into my research and artwork.

I’m a mixed media artist – I create paintings, collages, and glass collages. My mediums are oil paint, different kinds of paper, glass, photographs, fiber, coal, and found objects.

In 2024, I had my first solo museum show, “A Journey to Be Continued”, at the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art in Texas. My previous solo exhibition, “Roots”, at Kente Royal Gallery (NYC, 2022), was fully dedicated to my childhood memories, roots, and legacy. Storytelling is important to me, and I also wrote a few essays for this project.

Going through my personal transformation, I created a series of glass collages, ‘Illusion of Reality’. In this body of work, I display new realities that do not always reflect what truly happened. My 3D reality builds a visual effect, where the highlights are constantly changing. The present in this work is interspersed with the past, and real events are unseparated from the fantasy.

Also, I’m proud to mention that two of my art pieces – “Diary of Memory” and “Impossibility of Movement” – were purchased by the Yuko Nii Foundation, Williamsburg Art & Historical Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

There’s a common myth about inspiration – that artists create only when they feel inspired. In reality, choosing an artistic career means practicing your craft regardless of mood or inspiration; discipline is key.

Coming from an HR background, I understand the demands of various professions, and I was surprised to realize how complex the ‘artist profession’ really is. Artists wear many hats: we’re not only creators but also marketers, negotiators, networkers, and strategists. We juggle these roles daily, often working longer hours than people might expect.

Another misconception is that artists don’t work on tight schedules. When I have multiple exhibitions planned, I’m often managing deadlines months or even years in advance. Early in my career, I was struck by how critical planning and organization are to maintaining momentum.

Finally, people often don’t realize that for an artist, there’s no true ‘work-life balance.’ Art isn’t something I leave in the studio at the end of the day; it’s a lens through which I see the world, and it’s woven into all aspects of my life.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Art and creativity have been my hobby since childhood, but moving to NYC transformed how I saw the world of art. I was captivated by the contemporary art scene and realized that art goes far beyond traditional paintings – it’s an expansive language of expression. This realization inspired me to pursue formal studies in art, marking a major shift from my previous career in HR. It was a bold move, but one I’ve never regretted.

My experience in HR had given me a strong foundation in career management and advising, so I was curious to see how I could apply this knowledge to building a creative career. In a field with no clear path or ladder, I faced two big challenges: becoming a professional artist and translating my business acumen to the art world.

Unexpectedly, the most challenging part was learning to be publicly visible. For an artist, exposure is essential – sharing your work, attending art events, engaging in studio visits and artist talks, and maintaining a thoughtful social media presence are all part of the role. There’s no room for shyness. It was a shift that tested my comfort zone but ultimately helped me grow both personally and professionally.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://oxanakovalchuk.com
• Instagram: @oxanakovalchuk_artist
• Facebook: @oxanakovalchukart
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@artistoxanakovalchuk5320