BIO

Alina Altukhova is an 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.
Alina's artworks featured in British Vogue and participate in international fairs and exhibitions.
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 paintings are in private collections in the USA, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Norway.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

My art explores the contradictions between the unique and the ideal in contemporary mass culture. I invite contemplation on why beauty, fashion, and brands have a hypnotic effect on modern women, influencing their self-esteem and social acceptance. The obsession with fashion has suppressed women's ability to express themselves and pushed the beauty of the inner world to the background.
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.
I love working with acrylic paints, and pink is present in every piece as a symbol of tenderness, a woman's inner beauty, and cotton candy, a symbol of nostalgia for childhood.
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.

CV

Education:
2024 — Online Art Communication school, SCE Institute of the Mediterranean Culture (Greece)
2020 — Harvard University Graduate School of Design, The Architectural Imagination (USA)
2016 — 2024 — PhD study program in Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Urban Design, Town and Regional Planning (Prague, Czech Republic)
2016 — History of Fashion, Alexandr Vasiliev School (Paris, France)
2011, 2015 — Post-Master studies with the support of The International Visegrad Fund, Czech Technical University in Prague, (Prague, Czech Republic)
2010 — 2013 - Postgraduate studies, Faculty of Architecture, Donbas National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture, (Makiivka, Ukraine)
2004 — 2010 - Architecture and Fine Art Education, Donbas National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture (DonNACEA), Master of Architecture, Degree with Honours (Makiivka, Ukraine)
2003 — Fine Art Education, Studio of Evgeniy Orlikov, the Honored Artist of Ukraine (Donetsk, Ukraine)

Honors and Awards:
2015, 2011 — Post-Master Scholarship two-time winner, Czech Technical University in Prague, The International Visegrad Fund (Prague, Czech Republic)
2010 — XIХ International competition of diploma projects for graduating students of high educational establishments of architectural and artistic specialties. Awarded with a First-degree Diploma (Ukraine)
2009 — IX Ukrainian architectural competition “Creativity plus quality” (Donetsk, Ukraine)
2009 — International competition Macef Design Award 2009 “Beyond silver” (Italy)
2009 — XVIІI International competition of diploma projects for graduating students of high educational establishments of architectural and artistic specialties. Awarded with a Second-degree Diploma (Ukraine)
2007 — Regional competition for the best draft design of architectural object for beautification of Kirovskoe city, Donetsk region. The project Reconstruction of Cultural Center, First place (Kirovskoe, Ukraine)

Selected Group Exhibitions:
2025 - JS Gallery, “Woman: A Whole World” group show, Artsy
2025 - JS Gallery, "Inner Codes" group show, Artsy
2025 - Los Angeles Art Association, ""Beaten Path", Los Angeles, USA
2025 - LA Art Show Modern + Contemporary, Los Angeles, USA
2025 - Los Angeles Art Association, "Concerning Myself", Los Angeles, USA
2025 - Los Angeles Art Association, "User to User", Los Angeles, USA
2024 - The Other Art Fair Brooklyn, New York, USA
2024 - Exhibition of Californian artists "All the world's a stage": Chagall, Tyshler and our Own Fantasies, San Mateo, USA
2024 - bG Gallery, "Spectrum Gestalt", Santa Monica, USA
2000 - Exhibition of creative works (fashion design sketches), Donetsk, Ukraine

Selected Publications and Media:
2025 – Vogue's Gallery, British Vogue Magazine, London, UK, January-March, May 2025.
2025 – Artistic Impressions, The World of Interiors Magazine, London, UK, April-June 2025.
2025 – The Art Edit, House & Garden Magazine, London, UK, May 2025.
2025 – In With the New, British GQ Magazine, London, UK, March-June 2025.
2024 – Interview for ARTTER MAGAZINE. Issue No.135 Interview with Alina Altukhova, USA https://medium.com/@arttermag/issue-no-135-interview-with-alina-altukhova-4adf1ba8df55
2024 — Catalogue of the "All the world's a stage": Chagall, Tyshler and our Own Fantasies Exhibition, San Mateo, United States, October 2024, p.15-17.
2018 — Urbanized green structures / collective of authors: Jan Hendrych, Jiří Kupka, Daniel Stojan, Irena Klingorová, ŠárkaKubátová, Alina Altukhova. Prague: Czech Technical University in Prague, 2018. Book: 198 pages.
2013 — Alina Altukhova, Oleg Fetisov. Problém konverzí průmyslových areálů v urbanistické struktuře na různých úrovních (na příkladu dolu Gorkého ve městě Doněck). In: Člověk, stavba a územní plánování VII. ČVUT v Praze, Fakulta stavební (2013). Str. 312-320. ISBN: 978-80-01-05225-9.
2012 — Alina Altukhova. Haldyna území města Doněck: městotvorná kompoziční a estetická role. In: Člověk, stavba a územní plánování VI. ČVUT v Praze, Fakulta stavební (2012). Str. 11-17. ISBN 978-80-01-05025-5.
2010 — Alina V. Altukhova, Nikolay V. Sholukh. Regional problems of ecology of the visual perception of urban environment // «Professional tradition and new technologies in ХХІ centuries architecture». Theses publication. – Kharkiv: KSTUCA, 2010. - P. 170―171.
2010 — The analysis of regional conditions and factors affecting the formation of the visual environment of a city (for example, Donetsk). Research article. - Visnik DonNACEA – 2010. – #2(82).
2010 — theses publication in "Proceeding of the Donbas National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture" (Color as an object of philosophical analysis). Scientific adviser Stanislav Stasenko, Ph.D.
2009 — Alina V. Altukhova, Nikolay V. Sholukh. Cultural sight objects of the central part of Donetsk city: the extent estimation of their accessibility to physically restricted people // Modern Industrial and Civil Construction. - DonNACEA. – 2009. – Volume 5, № 2.– P. 53-59.
2009 — theses publication in "Proceeding of the Donbas National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture" (The analysis of some visual forms and their influence on emotional condition of a person).

Member of the Following Organizations:
Los Angeles Art Association, LAAA, Joined 2025 (USA).