Biography
Veronika Kvitko, known as Vegesent, is a multidisciplinary artist based in Finland. She aims to initiate conversations and spark awareness around ethical values and sustainability through her art.
She was born in Sarapul, Russia, in 1990 and currently resides and works in Helsinki, Finland. Being raised in a small town near the Ural Mountains, the scarcity around her in childhood became abundance, as it taught her to cherish life beyond material things and forge deep connections with the earth, empathy for animals, and inner resilience.
Her childhood was marked by an eight-year full-time scholarship at the Aesthetic school of visual and performing arts in Sarapul, laying the foundation for her creative journey. Since 2007 she began working professionally in digital media, contemporary illustration, and photography. Eventually, drawing on her early artistic training, she transitioned to experimenting with mixed media paintings, blending her diverse skills and experiences.
In 2016, she graduated with a BA in Graphic design from Metropolia UAS, Finland. Since then, she worked in various creative and art industries such as book illustration, fashion photography and game design. This also meant that she became increasingly aware of underlying ethical and environmental issues within the art industry that often go unnoticed. This growing awareness led her to shift her focus towards individual choices and efforts, aiming to address these industry-wide problems through her own practice.
Raising awareness about environmental issues and the violence against animals, her art has been awarded the Vegan Choice Award in 2024. She also currently serves as Vice chairperson of the Helsinki International Artists Association.
Her works have been exhibited in Helsinki’s cultural center Cable Factory and City Museum, and published in international magazines, such as Picton, Boulevard, and Style Cruze. Her works can be found in private collections in Russia and Europe
Artist statement
Vegesent art is a study in materiality and surface, operating at the intersection of minimalism, tactile abstraction, and conceptual practice. Contained within a precisely constructed frame, each work emphasizes its dense, relief-like texture, where elements accumulate and disperse across the surface.
All artworks are conceptual in nature, their compositions inspired by research-based facts and confronting truths about environmental and animal welfare. The restrained palette directs focus to structure, depth, and form, heightening sensitivity to light and shadow. In curatorial terms, they resonate with traditions of Art Informel and material-based minimalism, yet their execution feels distinctly current, engaging with sustainability and raw matter as artistic voice.
The artist’s choice of materials reflects a deep commitment to authenticity and sustainability. Each work incorporates local sand, reclaimed wood, and other discarded materials, selected to reduce pressure on the planet’s finite resources and combat water and landfill pollution. The material vocabulary extends from solidified sand to discarded plastic and recycled paper — matter once overlooked, transformed into instruments of expression.
Vegesent’s creative process begins with material exploration and experimentation. Once the material’s potential is understood, the artist envisions the final piece and meticulously refines every detail. The concluding phase is one of reduction — a thoughtful simplification until nothing distracts from the intended message.
This dedication extends beyond reducing environmental impact. The artist’s practice equally advocates for the well-being of people and animals. Through raising awareness, supporting marginalized vegan communities, and aligning artistic choices with ethical principles, Vegesent strives to contribute to a world that is fairer, more just, and grounded in compassion.
Veronika Vegesent CV Veronika Vegesent Biography. Press release