ALISA SALNIKOVA
Resident of CUTOUT COLLAGE ART PROJECT: November 2024 - Now
A multimedia artist originally from Kyiv. The entire childhood was spent exploring the city and its surroundings, and in the summers—traveling across Ukraine. The interest in nature varied in intensity but never faded, leading to study biology during her university years. A pivotal moment came with the biology institute building, known as an example of Soviet brutalist architecture. It was during this time that a secret fascination with monumental architecture and its preservation began.
On December 31, 2022, during missile strikes by Russia, the building suffered damage, and only one of the original stained glass artworks by artist Larysa Mishchenko survived. Thanks to collective efforts and the availability of detailed photographs of the works in Alisa's personal archive, the stained glass windows were fully restored and reinstalled.
The dedication of volunteers to restoring monuments deeply impressed her and inspired to take action.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, has been living in Budapest, where worked on installing art installations at techno parties and organizing spaces. The destruction of stained glass answered an old question about nature and architecture—their fusion became the central theme of her digital collages during that period.
After graduating from university and returning to Ukraine, focused on multimedia art. Her works were first presented at techno parties in Odesa, Kamianets-Podilskyi, and Kyiv. Since November 2024, she is a resident of the CUTOUT COLLAGE ART PROJECT, Ukraine.
EXHIBITIONS
2025
-"For the Sake of the Letter", Antropia, Culture and Conference Centre, Driebergen, Netherlands – An art activism project aimed at supporting prisoners of war
- "Fragments", Eye Sea Gallery, Kyiv, Ukraine
2024
- Podiya081, Solo exhibition, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine
- Armageddon, Solo exhibition, Odesa, Ukraine
ARTWORKS
"It should evoke emotion!" – this phrase, overheard at the Vinnytsia Art Museum, has stayed with me.
People are always searching for answers, yet sometimes the answers themselves turn into new questions. In my work, I draw a line between opposites: the living and the inanimate, the natural and the artificial.
While studying biology, I became particularly fascinated by insects, whereas in everyday life, I am drawn to brutalist concrete architecture—the air moving through its spaces and the way light travels within it. Society, interpersonal relationships, and even the laws of science are built on contradictions, exceptions, and paradoxes.
In my artwork, I merge these contrasts, emphasizing their coexistence. After all, contradictions provoke emotion. And at the same time, they hint at a simple yet profound truth: we know almost nothing about this world.