About Viktoriya
Viktoriya Rudenko is a Deaf visual artist whose artistic journey began at the age of four in Russia. From ages seven to sixteen, she received formal classical art training, specialising in watercolour and studying alongside hearing students as the only Deaf student in her art college. She later earned a diploma in Art Design and degrees in Interior Design and Publishing & Editing, establishing a professional career as a graphic designer and exhibiting her work in Russia.
After moving to Canada in 2009, Viktoriya returned to painting in 2014, reconnecting with a lifelong passion for visual art. Her practice has since expanded beyond watercolour to include glassblowing, fused glass, and other forms of visual expression.
Her work is deeply connected to Deaf culture, identity, visual language, and lived experience. She has exhibited across Canada, including Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia, and has participated in the national Deaf Arts Academy’s Deaf View/Image Art (De’VIA) cohort.
Artist Statement
I tend to choose two or three colours and emphasise composition in my art. I consciously opt for the colour blue as it symbolises the sky, the universe and our shared humanity, as well as my Deaf Soul. Upon engaging with Deaf View Image Art (De'VIA), I embarked on learning more about Deaf culture, history, and how it feels to be a Deaf person among those who can hear. I poured my heart into my paintings. My art has transformed painful experiences into achievements that I appreciate and talents that I am grateful for and see as gifts from God. I have been painting with watercolour all my life. Becoming a glassblower felt like a natural progression. These techniques share similarities in their process. Both demand precision and leave little room for error. To achieve the desired results, one must adapt to the process while honing skills to achieve the desired results. Both watercolour and glass are transparent media, just as my experiences, feelings and views are made transparent through my art.