Victoria Semykina
With a striped shirt, weird hat, and red vintage bike Victoria could be one of her own characters. She was born in Moscow where she studied painting at the Academy of Fine arts. While studying printmaking at Bologna Academy, she fell in love with Italy and then decided to stay. However, during the wintertime, Victoria misses the snow of her homeland.
Her illustrations are characterized by the use of various techniques, loose drawing style, and distinctive hand-drawn lettering.
Her latest book François Truffaut: The Boy who Loved Movies (written by Luca Tortolini and published by Kite edizioni in 2020), was the winner of the 2021 Grand Prix Nami Concour in Korea and the Andersen award. Her illustrations from The Real Boat (Templar) received the 2019 Beijing Book Fair Grand Jury Prize and were Highly Commended in the 2017 Klaus Flugge Prize. She also won the Tapirulan Contest in 2017. Victoria has collaborated with Tate Modern, Google, Airbnb, Penguin, Andersen Press, Egmont, Starbucks, Bonnier, Holiday House, GQ, Forbes, Oxford Press, among others.
You can find Victoria searching for inspiration in antique book shops or occasional flea markets.
