Anastasia Kovaleva

Biography

Anastasiia Kovaleva (Kiki) is a Russian-born abstract painter based in Bangkok, Thailand. Working primarily with acrylics and mixed media on large-scale canvases and surfaces such as wood, she paints without visual references, a predetermined plan, or a fixed outcome. Each piece develops through layering, erasing, and spontaneous gestures, guided by intuition and the process itself. After eighteen years in the international fashion and modeling industry, Kiki turned to painting to shift her attention from the external image to the internal experience of making. What began in 2024 as a personal tool for self-exploration has since become her central artistic practice — a way of learning to trust the process over control. Under the name Inner Essence, Kiki also leads workshops focused on intuitive art-making, not as a study of technique, but as a way of reconnecting with creative flow and a more instinctive relationship with the creative process. She has hosted workshops in Bangkok and at Wonderfruit Festival, working with around 60 participants.

Artist statement