Born in the village of Uzin in Ukraine, Tamara Balenko graduated from Odessa State Art
College with a degree in painting and earned her master's in illustration and book design
from National University of Printing Production. Additional studies at Los Angeles Valley
College followed her immigration to the United States in 1998. Her award-winning art
has exhibited in numerous countries, including Canada, Portugal, Poland, Belgium and
the U.S and in esteemed venues such as Memorial Museum of aul Verlain in Metz,
France; Brunico Graphic Museum of Art in Brunico, Italy and others.
Tamara Balenko is the owner and director of education of Golden Key Art school.
Extended Bio >>>


SOLO EXHIBITIONS
  • 1996 Museum of the Book Printing History in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Kiev. Ukraine.
  • 1995 Art Gallery of University Kiev-Mohila Akademy, Kiev. Ukraine.
  • 1991 City Hall. Kiev, Ukraine.
  • 1990 Palace of Culture, Kiev. Ukraine.
  • 1990 Editorial office of “Kiev” magazine, Kiev. Ukraine.
  • 1987 Shevchenko Library, Kiev. Ukraine.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
  • 2011 Arte Natura, Limner Gallery, New York City, NY
  • 2009 Art Show, New Renaissance, Los Angeles, CA
  • 2006 Pacific Design Center, Life in Contrast, Los Angeles. CA
  • 2004 Pacific Design Center, Unity and Diversity, Los Angeles. CA USA
  • 2003 December Small Works 2003,Limner Gallery, New York City. NY USA
  • 2003 Fall Salon 2003, Limner Gallery, New York City. NY USA
  • 2001 Svitozor Art Gallery, Art exhibition “Legacy”, Santa Barbara, CA USA
  • 2000 Svitozor Art Gallery, various shows, Santa Barbara, CA USA
  • 2000 Ukrainian Culturel Center, Family Show, Los Angeles, CA USA
  • 2000 XXVIII International Ex-libris Congress, Boston, USA
  • 2000 Art Festival “Pisanka”, Los Angeles, CA USA
  • 2000 Svitozor Art Gallery“Come to see my Etchings”, Santa Barbara, CA USA
  • 1999 Art Gallery of Los Angeles Valley College, Van Nuys, CA USA
  • 1999 Svitozor Art Gallery, various show, Santa Barbara, CA USA
  • 1998 XXVII International Ex-libris Congress, Sant-Petersburg, Russia
  • 1999 XVIII International Festival Chopin w Barwach Jesieni, Antonin, Poland
  • 1998 Ukrainian Bookplate Art. Frederikshavn Museum of Art, Finland
  • 1998 International exhibition “Ex-libris for Jan Paule II”, Poland
  • 1997 Krakov, Poland
  • 1996 XXVI International Ex-libris Congress, Chrudim, Czech Republic
  • 1996 International Ex-libris competition “Paul Verlain”, Metz, France
  • 1996 Third International Biennale of Ex-libris “Warsaw in Ex-libris”, Poland
  • 1996 Second International competition of Xylography and Linography bookplates. Katowice’96, Poland
  • 1996 International competitions and exhibitions of applied graphic arts “The World of Ex-libris”:
    • Museum of Applied Arts, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
    • Orleans House, Twickenham, London, UK
    • National Museum of Fine Arts, Buenos Aires, Brasilia
    • Mitchell Library, Glasgow, UK(1996-97)
  • 1995 First Biennale Book Art, Turiec Gallery, Martin, Slovak Republic
  • 1995 First Triennial Ex-libris, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
  • 1995 “Carnival of flowers”, Children’s Art Academy, Kiev, Ukraine
  • 1995 Family exhibition “Triad” (T. Balenko, V. Vasilyev, A. Vasilyeva), Art Gallery of the Kiev-Mohila Academy.
  • 1994 International Bookplate Exhibition “Many Religions – One God”, Kiev, Ukraine.
  • 1993 The Ukrainian Artist’s Exhibition, Saskatoon Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Canada.
  • 1993 Diploma of International Bookplates Competition “Warsaw in Ex-libris”, Warsaw, Poland.
  • 1992 Second International Triennial Ex-libris Exhibition, Vilnius, Litva.
  • 1992 Diploma of International Competition “Xilography and Linography Bookplates. Katowice-92”, Krakow, Poland.
  • 1992 Third-prize winner at the International Exhibition of Bookplate “500th anniversary of America’s discovery by Columbus”, Krakow, Poland.
  • 1991 Participation in three State Exhibitions, Kiev, Ukraine.
  • 1991 Ukrainian Ex-libris Exhibition, Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton Canada.
  • 1990 Triad exhibition (T.Balenko, V.Vasilyev , F. Gluschuk), Palace of Culture, Kiev, Ukraine.
  • 1990 One-man exhibition at the journal “Kiev” Editorial Office, Kiev, Ukraine.
  • 1985 - 1990 Participation in fifteen State (Ukraine), and three International exhibitions.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
  • Direct Art magazine. Fall 2012, SlowArt Productions, New York
  • Life in Contrast. Pacific Design Center. Unity in Diversity Art Foundation, CityWide Printing Inc. 2006
  • New Art International, A Compendium of Recent Works by World Contemporary Artists. Book Art Press, Publishers, New York,Volume VIII 2003-2004
  • Unity and Diversity, catalog of Russian - American Art Exhibit II, Pacific Design Center, Los Angeles, 2004
  • Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine, Vol. II, Kiev, Ukraine, 2003
  • Contemporary World Exlibris catalog, Cambridge Bookplate, USA, 2003.
  • Direct Art magazine, Vol.8, SlowArt Production, USA 2002
  • Jon Crowder. “Scanning History”, Santa Barbara News-Press SCENE April 7, USA 2000
  • The Monthly Digest to Art in Southern California ARTScene, Vol. 19, No 10. June, USA 2000
  • Kim Tuchman. “Origin” Exhibit at the Art Gallery”, The Los Angeles Valley Star. 1999. USA
  • Petro Nesterenko. Ukranian Bookplate Art. Finland. 1998
  • Vladimir Vasilyev. “Tamara Balenko”, Encyclopedia Bio-Bibliographical of the Art of Contemporary Ex-libris. Portugal, 1997
  • Magazine “Graphia”, No 13/14. Belgium, 1998
  • Magazine “Canadian Catolic Review”.No 9, Canada, 1995