Iryna Babanina is a Ukrainian graphic artist from Kharkiv who has been living in Prague for two years, attending UMPRUM. She studied book illustration at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture in Kyiv. She finds particular joy when a story emerges from a labyrinth of intertwined plots and characters. Most of her work consists of book illustrations, which she also presents as standalone graphic cycles. Her work is primarily based on traditional graphic techniques such as etching, lithography, and screen printing.
In drawing and painting, Iryna has undergone classical training, which has led her to create portraits and landscape paintings. Her two-year internship at UMPRUM in Prague has been the most significant influence so far, where she had the opportunity to learn animation and ceramics. Her diverse subjects cover a wide range of objects and symbols, but she considers one quality essential in her images: freshness. She prefers working with watercolor, whose fluidity and unpredictability can bring even the most ordinary motif to life.
After participating in several group and school exhibition projects, she presented a solo exhibition titled “Under Pressure: Free Graphics” at the Scout Institute in Prague at the turn of 2023/2024, showcasing seventeen graphic works. She was nominated in the student lithography category at Prague’s Graphic of the Year 2023.
Iryna Babanina offers commissioned human and animal portraits, as well as plein air landscapes or those based on photographic references.
