Nadya Voynovskaya (1993) is a Russian-American multidisciplinary artist primarily focused on painting, muralism and sculpture. Her work explores queer immigrant identity, Russian folk art, and community empowerment.
Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, she grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and Tampa Bay Area. She began studying public art at Berkeley City College and went on to graduate from School of Visual Arts in New York City (2017). She is currently based in Oakland, CA.
She has a background as a teaching muralist, having worked on over thirty community murals in Berkeley and Oakland, CA; Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Bronx, NY; Atlanta, GA; Miami, FL; and Akumal, Mexico. Her mural work is made in collaboration with students and community members and seeks to visually represent the cultural richness and social justice themes relevant to the specific community.
Artist Statement
I am currently exploring a body of work that portrays queer people of various identities and backgrounds, unified under a limited palette and accented with patterns. I am inspired by an empowered gaze, intimacy and inner knowing in my subjects. Uplifting tender but powerful humanity in my art feels like an invitation for the audience to reconnect to an innate wholeness, despite our society's attempts to marginalize what is considered different or "other".