Aliya Bodnar, contemporary watercolour artist cv, working in her studio in Kent

Artist CV

A contemporary artist whose practice explores what becomes possible in the spaces between.

Aliya Bodnar is a contemporary artist based in Kent, United Kingdom, working primarily in watercolour. Her practice is rooted in sustained observation and explores perception, identity and human experience through places shaped by memory, movement and change.

This Artist CV traces the development of her professional practice through selected exhibitions, awards and competitions, publications, artistic development and engagement with the wider arts community. It brings together the contexts in which her original artwork and watercolour paintings have been exhibited, recognised and discussed.

Beyond her studio and exhibition practice, Bodnar’s creative work extends into projects that explore art as a space for reflection, connection and shared experience. Her practice has included working with Ukrainians rebuilding their lives after displacement, as well as collaborative work centred on women’s experiences and personal reflection. These experiences have gradually led her towards an ongoing exploration of art meditation and the ways creative practice can create space for attention, perception and a different relationship with one’s own experience.

Handwritten signature of contemporary artist Aliya Bodnar
ALIYA BODNAR

A contemporary artist
working primarily in watercolour

Solo Exhibitions

Heritage in dialogue: stories from Kent

2025

Watch a moments

Reflections after my solo exhibition

Selected Exhibitions

R&WKAS at Medway Open Studios `26

 2026

R&WKAS Spring Exhibition
at Royal Engineers Museum

2026

Winter open `The Halpern Gallery`

2025

R&WKAS Autumn Exhibition

2025

2025

Nucleus Arts Summer Exhibition

2025

R&WKAS at Medway Open Studios `25

2025

Art for Peace `25

 2025

`Taste` Halpern POP

2025

The Urban Lens

2025

Living Artists Contemporary

2025

Vogue Seventh Edition

2024

WORKSHOPS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Medway Help for Ukrainians

Led biweekly watercolour workshops, using painting and creative practice to support adaptation, connection and community engagement among Ukrainians living in the UK.

TILIA CLUB

Co-founded a community initiative where watercolour and creative practice became tools for exploring emotional wellbeing, self-expression and new forms of connection among women.

COMPETITIONS AND AWARDS

GRAND-FINAL ART IV

2025

World Talent Award

2024

International Art Contest, Season 57, UK

2024

International Art Contest, Season 49

2023

EDUCATION

College of Economics and Law

2002-2006

2022-2025

2024–present

Artist Aliya Bodnar playfully holding a brush in her studio — capturing the joyful side of the creative process.

PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

Original watercolour paintings and artworks by Aliya Bodnar are held in private collections across Europe and beyond, including Ukraine, Israel, Estonia, the United Kingdom, Romania, Belgium, Poland and Greece.

MEMBERSHIPS

Rochester & West Kent Art Society (R&WKAS)

Aliya Bodnar is a member of the Rochester & West Kent Art Society, a long-established local art community bringing together artists across Medway and West Kent through exhibitions, workshops and shared professional activity. Since May 2026, she has also served on the Society’s committee, contributing to its ongoing development and engagement with the regional arts community.

Her involvement with R&WKAS forms part of a wider professional practice rooted in contemporary art, original painting and active participation in the artistic life of Kent.

PUBLICATIONS AND MENTIONS