Biography
Olena Mykolaivna Pavlova is a Ukrainian writer, journalist, artist, curator of cultural projects and the author of the cult comic character Ingyra the Cat. Born July 5, 1986 in the city of Ostrog, Rivne region. She spent her childhood in Rivne.
Education and early years
Olena was educated at the Rivnen Humanitarian Gymnasium and the Children's Art School. Later she moved to Kyiv, where she studied at the Faculty of Ukrainian Philology and Journalism at the National University "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy". During her student years, she actively participated in the Orange Revolution, and devoted her term paper to the folklore of those events.
Journalism and cultural activities
Olena worked in Kraina magazine, where she managed the culture department for six years. She was also responsible for cultural content at Gazeta.ua and "Gazeta po-Ukrainian". Pavlova was the initiator and curator of the contest of topical short prose "Novel in Ukrainian", which led to the publication of such collections as "Euromaidan. Chronicle in short stories" and "Crimea in Ukrainian".
Literary and artistic activity
Olena Pavlova is the author and curator of the first anthology of comic poetry "Com-po" (2017) in Ukraine, implemented jointly with the Goethe-Institut Ukraine. In 2021, she collected the best texts of the portal Osvitoria.Media in the book "How not to go crazy from parenthood". In 2019, she became the winner of the second prize of the literary contest of the "Torch" publishing house in the "Poetry" nomination. Her debut collection Skin of the Bridge was released in 2022 and was seven years in the making. In 2024, her second collection of poems — "Light Sensitive" was published.
Kit Fig and media activism
As an artist and media activist, in 2009 Pavlova created the character Cat Fig, which became a symbol of love of books and critical thinking. Within this brand, not only printed editions were released, but also the board game "Critics" (2021), designed for the development of media literacy.
Publicity and memes
Pavlova is the author of the resonant viral meme with Stepan Bandera on the thousand hryvnia bill (2014). She also organized the "Golden Lifon" literary award and is an active participant in book and educational events, such as BookForum and Ukrainian PEN.
Current place of residence
As of 2024, Olena Pavlova lives in Lviv, continuing her literary, cultural and media activities.
Olena Pavlova is an important figure in the Ukrainian cultural space, who combines literary creativity with active participation in cultural and media initiatives, leaving a significant mark in the development of Ukrainian literature and public opinion.