BIO
Hanna Koval (b. 2000, Simferopol, Ukraine) is a visual artist currently based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Her practice centers on watercolor, ink, and oil painting, combining fluid washes of color with intricate line work to create lyrical narratives that balance fragility and strength. A pivotal work in her career, Moment of Reflection (2024), marked a deepening of her engagement with narrative and symbolism, highlighting her evolving artistic vision and philosophical depth.
Building on this practice, a central focus of Koval’s recent work is her ongoing project, Laeana, a fictional universe that functions as both an artistic language and a philosophical framework. Conceived as a utopian vision rooted in empathy, harmony, and aesthetic depth, Laeana has evolved into her most ambitious project — a graphic novel trilogy created in watercolor and ink. Through this work, Koval explores resilience, belonging, and the role of beauty as a form of survival. Rather than an escape, Laeana serves as a mirror and counterpoint to lived reality, carrying forward the central question that shapes her practice: can art save us?
Koval’s artistic journey has been marked by notable exhibitions, residencies, and growing recognition. Highlights include her solo exhibition Moment of Reflection at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth, Canada (2024), participation in the online show Interchange at Florence Contemporary Gallery in Italy (2024), and her participation in the NOISEmakers residency at Nocturne Halifax (2023). That same year, her work was also featured at NOCTURNE S04 at The Prow Gallery in Halifax. Her international presence continues to grow, with representation at Homiens Gallery in New York (2024–2025) and recognition through the Luxembourg Art Prize (2024), affirming her voice as a distinctive presence in the contemporary art scene.
CV
Born in 2000 in Simferopol, Ukraine
Resides and works in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Education
2016-2020: BA in Fine Art, Samokish Art School, Simferopol, Ukraine
Exhibition History
2024, ‘Interchange’ (online exhibition), Florence Contemporary Gallery, Florence, Italy
2024, ‘Moment of Reflection’ (solo exhibition), Alderney Landing, Dartmouth, Canada
2023, ‘NOCTURNE S04’, The Prow Gallery, Halifax, Canada
2020, ‘The Breath of Spring’, Union of Crimean Artists Gallery, Simferopol, Ukraine
2020, Festival ‘Symbiosis 2.0’, Conservatory Art Space, Simferopol, Ukraine
2019, Festival ‘Symbiosis’, Conservatory Art Space, Simferopol, Ukraine
2018, ‘New Generation’, Samokish Art School, Simferopol, Ukraine
Representation
2024-2025, Featured Artist – Homiens Gallery, New York, USA
Awards
2024, Certificate of Artistic Achievement, Luxembourg Art Prize, Pinacothèque Museum, Luxembourg
Collections
Vladimir Samarsky, Simferopol, Ukraine
Mikhail Zharov, Sevastopol, Ukraine
Viktoria Lavrova, Koktebel, Ukraine
Genevieve Cooreman, Antwerp, Belgium
Residencies
2023, Nocturne NOISEmakers, Wonder’neath, Halifax, Canada
Press & Publications
‘It’s her own fault. A comics about the pressures faced by girls who have been victims of sexual abuse’ in Kloop, 2022
Iryna Stasiuk ‘A comic book about a student raped by a teacher was released in Ukraine’ in Hmarochos (online resource), 2022
‘It's her own fault’ in Reporters (online resource), 2022
Victoria Kudryashova: ‘Ukraine created a comic book about the stigmatization of victims of sexual violence’ in The Village, 2022
Olga Frolyak (interview): ‘artist in SYMBIOSIS 2.0’ in Kesadilka (online resource), 2019
Relevant Professional Experience & Art-Related Contributions
2023-present: Private art teacher, Dartmouth, Canada
2020-2022: Senior artist, INKER, Kyiv, Ukraine
2020-2021: Educator, supplementary education teacher, Private kindergarten "School on the Lawn", Kyiv, Ukraine
2020: Art teacher, Art School, Simferopol, Ukraine
2019-2020: Festival Director, Symbiosis, Simferopol, Ukraine
2019: Designer, Hotel BEGA, Moscow, Russia (remote)
2018-2022: Designer, ShineBoost, Moscow, Russia (remote)
2017-2018: Monumentalist, Self-employed, Simferopol, Ukraine