“Truth I“ 30x40 cm, Acrylic on canvas

Daryna Smolkina is a Ukrainian artist working within the traditions of Surrealism and Symbolism. Born in Ukraine in 1996, she grew up and studied in Kyiv. At the age of 19, she moved to Lisbon. The experience of emigration and living in a new cultural environment became one of the defining influences on her artistic practice.

In her work, Daryna often portrays characters confronting psychological challenges—both those imposed by society and those that arise from within. The central themes of her practice include social boundaries, norms, and expectations, particularly questions of masculinity and femininity, and the ways these identities are experienced by women and men. Her paintings explore the tension between personal identity and socially prescribed roles, both in Ukraine and across Europe, revealing the ways people conceal themselves behind conventions and traditional notions of what it means to be a woman or a man, while also examining the construction, idealization, and lived experience of these identities.

The way we see ourselves is not the way others see us.

At times, her paintings resemble theatrical stages, capturing human vulnerability in a single evocative moment. Through symbolic imagery and surrealist narratives, the artist explores the masks people wear in everyday life and the inner conflicts hidden beneath social expectations.

Darina is currently working on a new series inspired by her own experience of emigration. After leaving Ukraine in 2016, she was unable to return for almost ten years. Her first opportunity to come home came only in 2025. These new works are imbued with nostalgia for a country that, for many years, existed only in her memories and imagination.

Leaving Ukraine at the age of 19 was driven by curiosity and a desire to see the world. Yet, over time, distance gradually gave way to uncertainty. The longer she lived away from home, the more difficult the idea of returning became. Familiar places, loved ones, and cherished memories began to feel increasingly out of reach. At the same time, the country in which she had built her life also began to feel unfamiliar, leaving her suspended between two places without fully belonging to either.

The events of 2022 profoundly transformed her understanding of home and belonging. As time passed, it became clear that the war would not end quickly and that returning could no longer be postponed. The realization that home itself could be lost forever became one of the defining emotional experiences of this period.

Returning to Ukraine in July 2025 became a deeply meaningful moment of reconnecting with her roots. Despite the reality of war, the experience was accompanied by an overwhelming sense of belonging. For a brief moment, despite the missiles, drones, and constant uncertainty, only one feeling remained—the feeling of home.

“Black swan” 30x40, Oil on canvas