Name: Art Exhibit. Alyona Krutogolova: Spirit Animals
Start: 2026-02-13T12:00:00-08:00
End: 2026-03-01T17:00:00-08:00
Location: Art House SF

Art Exhibit. Alyona Krutogolova: Spirit Animals

Alyona synthesizes Ukrainian folk traditions and an ironic worldview in her whimsical style she calls an "island of happiness."
About this Event

You're invited to our FREE Guided Tour of the Spirit Animals exhibit by contemporary Ukrainian artist Alyona Krutogolova.

Max, the gallery owner, traveled to Kyiv in May 2024, where he met with Alyona and sat down for a cup of tea with cake with her.

During the tour, Max will introduce you to:

Four Ukrainian artists who influenced Alyona's work, most of whom are female and self-taught
Max will present examples of Ukrainian crafts he brought with him from Ukraine
The rich Ukrainian art tradition, its color and vibrant palette, decorative patterns, the world of Ukrainian crafts (pysanki, vyshyvanka, Petrykivka, etc)
Ukrainian oral fairy tale tradition (kazka)
Finally, we'll bring it all together to show how Alyona's work is reflective and inspired by these traditions

Several time slots for the guided tours are offered. Please select one that fits your schedule.

About Art House SF Gallery

A San Francisco art gallery with a mission to introduce more people to eclectic art from the most remote and undiscovered parts of the world. We're located in the famous Castro District - a neighborhood of freedom, acceptance, creativity, and diversity.

2324 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94114

[email protected] | www.arthousesf.com | @arthousesf

About the Artist:

Alyona Krutogolova is a contemporary Ukrainian artist based in Kyiv, known for creating a distinct "happy island" through her whimsical and decorative paintings. Her work is characterized by a unique synthesis of traditional Ukrainian folk art and naive art elements, filtered through a modern, ironic lens.

She uses deliberate decorativeness to create a sense of harmony and positivity, while her rich, bright, and "airy" palette is designed to evoke warmth and joy.

Her works blend centuries-old Ukrainian folk pattern and design tradition, with the oral fairytale tradition, yet simplified and modernized for the 21st century.

Alyona views her art as a form of "Art Therapy." In the context of modern stresses and the ongoing war in Ukraine, she aims to provide viewers with an escape—a place of "kind and harmless silliness."

Her whimsical creatures "live every moment carefully and attentively, just like children when they eat cake, with reverence and while slightly protecting the plate with their hand, because... you never know."