@elenapach_art | elenapach.com | Self portrait with the sun | Painting, 30×40 |
Portrait of my mother | Painting, 48×36 |
My name is Elena Pach. I live and work in Chicago. I began drawing as a child, growing up in Kyiv in an apartment building of the Artists’ Union, surrounded by painters, ceramicists, and critics — a world where I believed everyone was an artist.
At ten, I entered the Republican Art School in Kyiv and later graduated from the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture in 1994. That same year, I moved to the United States.
My work centers on the idea that each artist creates a distinct, recognizable world. I am drawn to mythology, Ukrainian folklore, and ornament, shaped by a lifelong “mental archive” of images and experiences that continue to inform my practice.
5 Questions
I moved to Chicago in 1994, alone, driven by a desire for freedom and adventure. I was young and unprepared for how difficult it would be. I worked many jobs just to survive. I remember telling my brother at the time that I felt like I was drowning — barely keeping my head above water, but refusing to let go.
Over time, I found support in Chicago’s immigrant communities, especially within the Ukrainian community. The Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art became an important place for me — offering not only cultural connection but emotional grounding. I feel I received a great deal, and now I carry a strong need to give back. I volunteer actively, especially since the war began, hoping that new waves of Ukrainian immigrants will find Chicago as welcoming as I once did.
My relationship to home has expanded rather than shifted. Ukraine lives within me — through memory, culture, and visual language — while Chicago has become the place where I build my life. The tension between these worlds is strongest in moments of distance, especially during times of crisis, but I reconcile it through my work and through community.
My hope has always been centered on freedom — the freedom to remain true to myself and to continue being an artist. That is the life I am building. It is not easy, but if you truly want it, it is possible.
Butterfly Effect: Bridging Borders Exhibiting Artists
Aileen Nicole Castro • Akira – Light that Heals • Alejandra Lemus • Alex Covarrubias – Red Cave • Anna Silvonchik • Arte Duran • Bane.xxa • Christian Joshua Varela Solis • Cindy Uriostegui – Cattco • Cristina Marquez • Elena Diadenko • Elena Pach • EMNI • Gabriel Guzman • Grecia Solorio • Idil Duman • Isaac Galvan • Janis Appleton* • Javier Viñuela*• Kaltra • Kybo • Mariana Perez • Mary Antar • Pamela Rubi Trejo Soria • Peauxline • raqui • Riesling Dong • Rocio “Chio” Cabrera-Coz • Sailee Charlu • Shalala Salamzadeh • Sharvani Rathna Chittem* • Stef Skills • Victoria Park • *Group collaboration