{"id":5085,"date":"2021-11-08T14:12:40","date_gmt":"2021-11-08T22:12:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coral.org\/?p=5085"},"modified":"2022-03-01T13:28:15","modified_gmt":"2022-03-01T21:28:15","slug":"inside-our-alliance-painting-utopian-reefscapes-with-nikolina-kovalenko","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/blog\/inside-our-alliance-painting-utopian-reefscapes-with-nikolina-kovalenko\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Our Alliance: Painting Utopian Reefscapes with Nikolina Kovalenko"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Imagine a world full of healthy, colorful coral reefs. No pollution, no bleaching, no extraction&#8230;just reefs in their purest, cleanest, and most natural state. This is what artist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nikolinakovalenko.com\/coral-garden\">Nikolina Kovalenko<\/a> sees as she masterfully paints a euphoric underwater world of untouched corals in her latest series \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.caldwellgallery.com\/exhibitions-items\/utopian-reefscapes\/selected-works?view=thumbnails\">Utopian Reefscapes<\/a>,\u201d on display at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.caldwellgallery.com\/\">Caldwell Gallery Hudson<\/a> in Hudson, NY.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have proudly partnered with Caldwell Gallery Hudson, as they support Kovalenko\u2019s creative message about coral reef conservation by graciously donating 20 percent of exhibition sales to CORAL.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-0 is-cropped has-nested-images columns-default wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Story Behind Nikolina Kovalenko\u2019s Utopian Reefscapes&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kovalenko is a born artist\u2014inspired at a young age by her parents who are also artists in Moscow, Russia. Instead of toys, she played with pastel chalk and cut-out characters her mother drew. At the age of ten, she began her professional art education and later went on to study and work internationally.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After spending time abroad, she was inspired to move away from traditional painting. She now calls herself an environmental artist, covering anything from logged trees in the Amazon Rainforest to the burning of ivory tusks in Africa. In 2019, she went backpacking through South America, where she obtained her diving certification and began exploring the underwater world. Out of all the ocean creatures, she was most drawn to corals\u2014saying \u201cthey are the most beautiful thing I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In \u201cUtopian Reefscapes,\u201d Kovalenko paints idealized coral reefs, while utilizing both her imagination and different elements of her underwater photographs. Her mission is to create scenery of abundant, untouched reefs in order to inspire viewers to take better care of the ocean. \u201cCoral reefs are being destroyed because of global warming and other <a href=\"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/coral-reefs-101\/reef-threats\/\">environmental threats<\/a>,\u201d said Kovalenko. \u201cI want to show all the beauty worth saving.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Our Partnership with Caldwell Gallery Hudson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kovalenko also played a role in inspiring gallery owner Jay Caldwell to create something special at Caldwell Gallery Hudson. After forming a friendship several years back, the two exchanged ideas about a novel approach to art-driven philanthropy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now twice a year, Caldwell Gallery Hudson sponsors exhibitions that empower artists whose work pertains to social or environmental issues. For these exhibitions, Caldwell shifts from the industry standard 50\/50 artist-gallery split and offers the artist 60 percent of the commission. He then donates half of the gallery\u2019s 40 percent to a nonprofit organization in the artist\u2019s chosen field. Additionally, Caldwell Gallery Hudson hosts the artist\u2019s residency, resulting in a new piece of art that is raffled off. One hundred percent of the money earned from the raffle tickets also goes to the nonprofit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"820\" src=\"https:\/\/coral.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/gallery-1024x820.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5094\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.coral.org\/uploads\/2021\/11\/gallery-1024x820.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/static.coral.org\/uploads\/2021\/11\/gallery-796x637.jpeg 796w, https:\/\/static.coral.org\/uploads\/2021\/11\/gallery-768x615.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/static.coral.org\/uploads\/2021\/11\/gallery-1536x1230.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/static.coral.org\/uploads\/2021\/11\/gallery-2048x1640.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity to dig in a little deeper and help in a direct, tangible way,\u201d says Caldwell. Throughout Kovalenko\u2019s exhibition, Caldwell expanded his knowledge and interest in coral reef conservation and has enjoyed passing this inspiration on to gallery visitors.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Making an Impact: Using Art to Save Coral Reefs&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like Caldwell and Kovalenko, we are excited to express our shared passion for protecting coral reefs with the art community. Historically, art has been a very powerful tool and can impact how people see or understand a situation. \u201cVisual messages can really bring it home for many people,\u201d says Kovalenko.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through this new partnership, we aim to make reefs as healthy as they appear in Kovalenko\u2019s paintings. After all, coral reefs provide a home to more than a million species and contribute food and income to coastal communities. They are an ecosystem worth fighting for\u2014because as Kovalenko says, \u201cCoral reefs are the lungs of our planet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><em>To learn more about Utopian Reefscapes, check out our <a href=\"http:\/\/coral.org\/en\/event\/utopian-reefscapes\/(opens in a new tab)\">recent webinar.<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Imagine a world full of healthy, colorful coral reefs. No pollution, no bleaching, no extraction&#8230;just reefs in their purest, cleanest, and most natural state. This is what artist Nikolina Kovalenko sees as she masterfully paints a euphoric underwater world of untouched corals in her latest series \u201cUtopian Reefscapes,\u201d on display at Caldwell Gallery Hudson in&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/blog\/inside-our-alliance-painting-utopian-reefscapes-with-nikolina-kovalenko\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue Reading &#8594;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5093,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_genesis_transparent_header":false,"_genesis_hide_siblings_nav":false,"_genesis_hide_flyout":false,"_genesis_subtitle":"","_genesis_subheading":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[295],"tags":[363,313],"class_list":{"0":"post-5085","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-partners","8":"tag-corporate-partner","9":"tag-partner","10":"entry"},"acf":[],"template_part":"\n<article class=\"article article-post post-5085 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail category-partners tag-corporate-partner tag-partner entry\">\n\t<div class=\"entry-image\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/blog\/inside-our-alliance-painting-utopian-reefscapes-with-nikolina-kovalenko\/\">\n\t\t\t<img width=\"740\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/static.coral.org\/uploads\/2021\/11\/resize-Copy-of-Dreamland-oil-on-canvas-14x20-inches-2021-1-740x560.jpg\" class=\"attachment-preview size-preview wp-post-image\" alt=\"coral reef painting\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t<ul class=\"post-categories\">\n\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/blog\/category\/partners\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Our Partners<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"entry-body\">\n\t\t<h2 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/blog\/inside-our-alliance-painting-utopian-reefscapes-with-nikolina-kovalenko\/\" class=\"entry-title-link\">Inside Our Alliance: Painting Utopian Reefscapes with Nikolina Kovalenko<\/a><\/h2>\t\t<p>Imagine a world full of healthy, colorful coral reefs. No pollution, no bleaching, no extraction&#8230;just reefs in their purest, cleanest, and most natural state. This is what artist Nikolina Kovalenko sees as she masterfully paints a euphoric underwater world of untouched corals in her latest series \u201cUtopian Reefscapes,\u201d on display at Caldwell Gallery Hudson in&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/blog\/inside-our-alliance-painting-utopian-reefscapes-with-nikolina-kovalenko\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue Reading &#8594;<\/a><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","featured_image_src":"https:\/\/static.coral.org\/uploads\/2021\/11\/resize-Copy-of-Dreamland-oil-on-canvas-14x20-inches-2021-1-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/static.coral.org\/uploads\/2021\/11\/resize-Copy-of-Dreamland-oil-on-canvas-14x20-inches-2021-1-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Mandy","author_link":"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/blog\/author\/mandy\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/static.coral.org\/uploads\/2021\/11\/resize-Copy-of-Dreamland-oil-on-canvas-14x20-inches-2021-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5085\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}