Nadiia Rom is a Ukrainian artist based in London whose practice explores memory, migration, identity and the emotional significance of everyday life. Working primarily in oil and pastel, she creates figurative and semi-abstract compositions in which domestic spaces, familiar objects and ordinary gestures become carriers of personal and collective histories.
Originally trained in architecture at Poltava National Polytechnic University in Ukraine, Rom worked as an architect and interior designer before turning her attention increasingly towards painting. Her architectural background continues to inform her sensitivity to space, structure and the environments we inhabit.
Experiences of war and forced migration have become significant influences within her practice, prompting questions around belonging, displacement and what remains when familiar places and routines are lost. Rather than depicting these experiences directly, Rom focuses on their quieter traces, exploring how memory can reside within objects, interiors, rituals and the body.
Through projects including Between Two Worlds, Portable Home and Food Scarcity / Embodied Memory, she considers both individual and shared experiences of migration, survival and cultural identity, creating work that invites viewers to reflect upon their own relationships with memory, home and belonging.
Nadiia will be showcasing her art at FLUX Exhibition 3-6 September – London.
Are you self-taught, or did you undertake formal artistic training?
I have a primary art education, having completed four years of art school, and I also studied painting and drawing while studying architecture at university.
How would you define your visual language or conceptual approach?
My visual language is rooted in quiet observation and the emotional traces left by memory. Working primarily in oil and pastel, I create figurative and semi-abstract compositions that explore how everyday objects, domestic spaces and gestures can hold personal and collective histories.
My conceptual approach combines painting with research into memory, displacement and identity. Rather than illustrating events directly, I focus on the subtle ways experiences are carried through the body, familiar spaces and ordinary rituals, inviting viewers to reflect on their own memories and sense of belonging.
Can you describe your creative process from conception to completion?
My projects begin with research. I collect personal stories, observations, photographs, sketches and written notes, exploring how memory is shaped by everyday experiences, migration and place. This research informs a visual concept rather than serving as a direct illustration.
In the studio, I work through multiple studies before developing finished paintings in oil or pastel. I often build images gradually, allowing composition, colour and surface to evolve alongside the ideas. The process concludes with public presentation through exhibitions, artist talks or community activities that invite conversation and reflection, extending the work beyond the studio.
Does narrative, symbolism or storytelling play a role within your work?
Yes. Narrative and symbolism are central to my practice, although they are often expressed through quiet, understated imagery rather than direct storytelling. I am interested in how ordinary objects, domestic interiors and familiar rituals become carriers of memory, identity and emotional experience.
Rather than depicting specific events, I create visual spaces where personal and collective histories intersect. A rumpled bed, an embroidered cloth or a familiar household object can become a symbol of absence, resilience, belonging or loss. I invite viewers to bring their own experiences to the work, allowing each painting to remain open to multiple interpretations while being rooted in shared human emotions.
Which artists have most influenced you, historically or contemporarily, and why?
The artists who have influenced me most include Hieronymus Bosch, Caravaggio, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Dutch Golden Age painters such as Pieter de Hooch, Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals and Rembrandt, J. M. W. Turner, and later artists including Gustave Caillebotte, Claude Monet, Gustave Courbet, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Paul Cézanne.
Although their visual languages differ greatly, they share a willingness to challenge established ways of seeing. They expanded the possibilities of painting by exploring new ways of representing human experience, light, space, emotion and everyday life.
Their work reminds me that painting is not only about depicting the visible world, but also about revealing meanings that are often overlooked. That belief continues to shape my own practice, where ordinary objects and domestic spaces become carriers of memory, identity and emotional experience.
What personal, cultural or environmental influences shape your practice?
My practice is shaped by the experience of war, forced migration and the ongoing search for identity. Leaving my home country compelled me to question what remains constant when familiar places, routines and communities disappear. This has led me to explore broader questions of memory, belonging and what defines us as individuals and as communities.
I am also deeply influenced by Ukrainian cultural heritage and by the resilience found in everyday life. Rather than focusing on dramatic events, I examine the quiet traces they leave behind in domestic spaces, ordinary objects and daily rituals. These influences shape both the themes of my work and the way I approach painting as a means of preserving memory and creating dialogue.
Where is your studio based, and how does the space inform your creativity?
My studio is located in my home. I live surrounded by my paintings, and they are an inseparable part of my daily life. Being in the same space as my work allows me to return to it constantly, live with it and continue the dialogue with each painting as it develops.
Do you have any rituals or rhythms that anchor your studio practice?
I work at my easel every day. That is my main ritual. Painting and being creative are as essential to me as breathing.
What bodies of work or projects are you currently developing?
I am currently developing several interconnected projects exploring memory, migration and identity. Between Two Worlds examines how memory is reconstructed after displacement through domestic spaces and everyday objects.
Portable Home is a participatory project that invites people to share personal stories through objects associated with home and belonging.
I am also continuing my research project Food Scarcity / Embodied Memory, which investigates how experiences of scarcity and survival are carried in the body and transmitted across generations.
Where can collectors encounter or acquire your work?
Collectors can find and purchase my work through my Instagram account and my Saatchi Art online gallery. I also make selected works available through exhibitions and open calls.
Instagram: @nadiiarom_art
Saathchi Art: https://www.saatchiart.com/account/profile/1403851
