— VALENTINAKI

Valentina Kovalishina, known professionally as Valentinaki, is a Latvian-born multidisciplinary artist whose practice explores the elemental force of water and its profound role in human existence.

Born in Riga in 1985, her artistic sensibility was initially forged through the discipline of choreography and scenography at the Latvian Culture College. This foundational background in theater and dance instills her visual art with an intuitive spatial awareness, dramatic scale, and an inherent rhythm of movement. Her painterly approach evolved from early explorations of watercolor transparency and soft pastel into a rigorous mastery of oil painting, refined under the mentorship of renowned figurative artist Giusy Boncinelli following her relocation to Italy in 2009.

Valentinaki’s creative philosophy centers on a deep communion with nature and the aquatic realm. Utilizing layered textures, transparency, and a signature shade of deep, immersive blue, she frequently references organic forms—such as the oyster shell—as metaphors for imperfect perfection. Her abstract compositions seamlessly bridge poetic sensitivity with conceptual rigor, raising critical ecological concerns to provoke reflection on environmental responsibility.

Over the past decade, Valentinaki has exhibited across major international art fairs, including CONTEXT Art Miami and Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary. Her site-specific installations have been staged at historic Italian landmarks, including the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio and the Sanctuary of Santa Maria dei Miracoli in Milan, Castel dell’Ovo in Naples, the Sforza Castle in Vigevano, and Palazzo del Pegaso in Florence. In 2025, she unveiled a major outdoor installation for Milan Fuorisalone, leading to her inclusion in the official programs of Milano Art Week and Milano Design Week 2026 with the monumental synesthetic project VETRA FLUX: Form Becoming Vibration at the Vetra Building plaza.

Committed to cross-cultural dialogue, Valentinaki founded The Baltic Vibe in 2022—an initiative dedicated to promoting the artistic heritage of the Baltic region internationally through multidisciplinary exhibitions, live performances, and creative exchanges.

Through her multidisciplinary practice, Valentinaki continues to provoke critical reflection on our environmental impact while inviting a deeper reverence for the natural world.