The only way to do something very well is to love what you do," Steve Jobs believed

Gelena Pavlenko (Vorobieva) was born in  Kyiv, Ukraine in 1969.

 Gelena trained at the Ukrainian Art Academy. Her work has featured in solo and group exhibitions in the Ukraine,Poland,Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Italy, the USA and Canada.

Artist's Works is represented in the permanent Сollection of the National Museum of history of Ukraine, Kyiv,Ukraine and in the permanent Collection of Salmagundi Art Club, New York ,NY, USA, in the permanent Collection of Ukrainian Museum in New York, NY, USA

 She is based in New York, USA,  where she lives with her husband and son.

Awards/highlights

2018 – Award for painting "Songs of Spring" in the category of painting in the 13th International ARC Salon Compettition in USA, the largest and most prestigious competition in the western world for realist artists. Port Reading, NJ, USA

2017 – Special Annual Purchase Prize for painting "Wheel of Time", of SCNY Members Annual Show, New York, NY, USA

2017 – Certificate of Merit Award for painting“Last Warmth" of Salmagundi Art Club, New York, NY, USA

From (2017 – 2022) - Member of Salmagundi Art Club, NY, USA

2000 – Grant artist International Artists-in-Residence Summer-Fall 2000, Griffis Art Center, New London, CT, U.S.A.

Since 1998 – The Member of Artists Union of Ukrainian.

 Education

1989-1998 - Ukrainian Art Academy, Kyiv, Ukraine/ Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting

1986-1988 - St. Petersburg State Academy Art Lyceum, Russia

1982-1986 - Ukrainian Republican School of the Arts, Kyiv, Ukraine

Solo Exhibitions

2019 – Personal Exhibition, Lotton Gallery, Chicago, USA

2017 – Personal Exhibition, Monasch Art Gallery, Brussels, Belgium

2015 – Personal exhibition "My Ukraine", The Central House of Artists, Kyiv, Ukraine

2015 – Personal exhibition “Shores and Flowers”, Gallery "Mytets”, Kyiv, Ukraine

1998 – Personal exhibition “Kyiv Quatrocento”, National Museum of history of Ukraine, Kyiv,Ukraine

1991 – Personal exhibition in Krakow, Poland.

1991 – Personal exhibition in Prague, Czechia.

Group exhibitions

2018 – SCNY Members Annual Show, New York, NY, USA

2018 – Eurantica Brussels Art Fair, Brussels, Belgium

2018 – Collective Exhibition, Monasch Art Gallery, Brussels, Belgium

2018 – Art Breda Art Fair, Breda, the Netherlands

2017 – SCNY Members Annual Show, New York, NY, USA

2017 – Exhibition "Landscapes", Salmagundi Art Club, New York, NY, USA

2016 – Triennial “Painting - 2016”, Kyiv, Ukraine

2015 – All Ukrainian Exhibition "Facets of Talent", The Central House of Artists, Kyiv, Ukraine

2012 – II Exhibition Arts. In.Ua, Kyiv, Ukraine

2011 – I Exhibition Arts.In.Ua, Kyiv, Ukraine

2010 – Art week in Spain "International ART Exhibition  and Competition"

2004 – Exhibition “Moscow International ART Salon”, Moscow, Russia

2003 – Exhibition “Russishe malerei”, Berlin, Germany.

2002 – Exhibition of  Luisenforum, Potsdam, Germany.

2001 – Exhibition “Pupil F. Gumenyuk” gallery NUKMA , Kyiv, Ukraine

2001 – Triennial “Painting - 2001”, Kyiv, Ukraine

2000 – “Christmas” exhibition, Ukrainian fund culture, Kyiv, Ukraine

2000 – Exhibition “Modern Portrait”, Kyiv, Ukraine

2000 – Exhibition “Landscape for your interior”, Gallery “OR”, Kyiv, Ukraine

1999 – “Modern historical painting” National Museum of Arts of Ukraine, Kyiv,
Ukraine

1998 – Exhibition “Portrait - 98”, Gallery of Kyiv Artists’Union.

1998 – Triennial “Painting - 98”, Kyiv, Ukraine

1998 – III International Art-Festival “Art of Ukraine of XX century”, Center “Ukrainian House” Kyiv, Ukraine

1998 – “60 years of Artists’Union of Ukrainian”, Kyiv, Ukraine

1997 – All-Ukrainian Art Exhibition “The fall Salon”, Kyiv, Ukraine

1996 – Exhibition in the gallery of Staryi Grad, Croatia.

1996 – All-Ukrainian Art Exhibition “The fall -96”, Artists’Union, Kyiv, Ukraine

1992 – Exhibition in Tychina museum, Kyiv of worldwide forum of Ukrainians.

1991 – Republican Spring Art Exhibition, Kyiv, Ukraine

1991 – Exhibition of young artists of Kyiv “33” in Lavra, Kyiv, Ukraine

"Gelena's artworks contain something more meaningful than mere descriptions of flourishing nature. Her art offers an allegory of the whole natural world together with its eternal blooming. In her art one could easily discern a connection to magic realism, mainly because her breathtaking diligence and remarkable painting mastery reveal themselves in combination with the poetic perception of reality. Her paintings convey the perfection a la Durer, diligent crafting of poetic images and Renaissance principles of structuring of the universe of art."

D.Korsun, leading Ukrainian fine art expert