About
Polina
Kniaz-Petukhovsky
Kniaz-Petukhovsky
Polina Kniaz-Petukhovsky (b. 1990) is a visual artist from Dubai whose practice encompasses biomorphic surrealistic paintings and sculptural work. She studied Contemporary Drawing and Painting at Central Saint Martins (UAL) in 2024, completed the RMA Modern Art Program (2017–2018), and previously studied at Boston University, ISM (Frankfurt am Main), and the Higher School of Economics (HSE). Her international background informs a practice rooted in psychological exploration, layered symbolism, and refined technical execution.
Kniaz-Petukhovsky’s work investigates the transformation of internal emotional states, with a particular focus on the architecture of unbearable feelings. Anxiety and panic — emotional intensities familiar to many and personally experienced by the artist — form a central part of her research. Through the painting process, these destabilising sensations are gradually transformed into visual harmony, tranquillity and satisfaction.
Each painting evolves through numerous thin oil layers, with every stage bringing a greater sense of order, clarity, and structure. When the canvas becomes insufficient to contain a particular emotional force, she extends her practice into clay sculpture, producing tactile objects that emphasise physicality and immediate sensory grounding. Polina also works with watercolours to create rapid, expressionist drawings that capture the immediacy of first encounters — spontaneous visual notations that distil an initial emotional charge into fluid, gestural marks.
Across all media, vivid palettes and recurring symbolic motifs operate as gateways into psychological landscapes shaped by memory, transformation, and states of heightened perception.
Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at World Art Dubai (2024), Boomer Gallery in London (“Dreams and Nightmares,” 2024), Artly Mix Gallery in São Paulo (“Elementos,” 2024), and in her solo exhibition “Emotional Kaleidoscope” in Tbilisi (2024). Kniaz-Petukhovsky continues to develop a distinct visual language dedicated to emotional transformation and the architecture of inner experience.
Kniaz-Petukhovsky’s work investigates the transformation of internal emotional states, with a particular focus on the architecture of unbearable feelings. Anxiety and panic — emotional intensities familiar to many and personally experienced by the artist — form a central part of her research. Through the painting process, these destabilising sensations are gradually transformed into visual harmony, tranquillity and satisfaction.
Each painting evolves through numerous thin oil layers, with every stage bringing a greater sense of order, clarity, and structure. When the canvas becomes insufficient to contain a particular emotional force, she extends her practice into clay sculpture, producing tactile objects that emphasise physicality and immediate sensory grounding. Polina also works with watercolours to create rapid, expressionist drawings that capture the immediacy of first encounters — spontaneous visual notations that distil an initial emotional charge into fluid, gestural marks.
Across all media, vivid palettes and recurring symbolic motifs operate as gateways into psychological landscapes shaped by memory, transformation, and states of heightened perception.
Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at World Art Dubai (2024), Boomer Gallery in London (“Dreams and Nightmares,” 2024), Artly Mix Gallery in São Paulo (“Elementos,” 2024), and in her solo exhibition “Emotional Kaleidoscope” in Tbilisi (2024). Kniaz-Petukhovsky continues to develop a distinct visual language dedicated to emotional transformation and the architecture of inner experience.
Portfolio
Interview
Education
2024 Central Saint Martins (UAL). «Contemporary Drawing and Painting»
2017 - 2018 RMA Modern Art program
2012 Boston University
2011 - 2013 ISM
2007 - 2011 HSE
Solo Exhibitions
2024, Tbilisi, Georgia,
"Emotional Kaleidoscope" Exhibition
Group Exhibitions
1-5 May 2024, UAE, Dubai, World Trade Center, World Art Dubai
April 2024 UK, London, Boomer Gallery "Dreams and Nightmares" Exhibition
23 March - 06 April 2024
São Paulo, Brazil, Artly Mix Gallery, "Elementos" Exhibition
April 2024 UK, London, Boomer Gallery "Dreams and Nightmares" Exhibition
23 March - 06 April 2024
São Paulo, Brazil, Artly Mix Gallery, "Elementos" Exhibition
Selected Collections
Private collections, Dubai
Artistic Statement
(PDF format): download here: link
Polina Kniaz-Petukhovski
A young female artist from Dubai, Polina Kniaz-Petukhovsky (b. 1990), specialises in surrealistic figurative painting and sculptures. Her creative endeavours are focused on feminist themes and the artistic exploration of complex female emotions in the demanding world where the meaning of a woman is constantly questioned. Polina’s art journey involves transforming childhood traumas and concealed feelings and seeking identity and belonging. Many of her pieces are dedicated to the contradictory relationship between the fragile inner world and the aggressive outer environment.
Polina uses intricate oil paint glazing techniques and detailing to touch deep, multi-layered human feelings. When a 2D-dimensional canvas cannot express emotions, she makes clay sculptures that can be touched to connect to physical reality. Vivid colours and symbolic forms transform her works into portals of self-discovery that provoke a dialogue with inner struggles.