Natalie Karpushenko "Human needs human"
Natalie Karpushenko "Human needs human" 2020
Photography, Archival Fine Art Print, Hahnemühle Photo Rag Paper, Mounted and Framed
Dimensions: 40 × 32 inches, Framed 42 x 34 inches
Limited Edition 3 of 10
Signed on verso, includes a signed certificate of authenticity
Natalie Karpushenko is an award-winning Kazakhstan-born photographer, filmmaker, and environmental artist whose work explores the profound relationship between humanity, nature, and the ocean. Through ethereal photographic compositions that merge reality and myth, she examines themes of environmental stewardship, feminine strength, transformation, and humanity's connection to the natural world.
Known for her immersive imagery and distinctive visual language, Karpushenko creates photographs that blur the boundaries between the human figure and the landscape. Inspired by women, wildlife, and elemental environments, her work is rooted in a philosophy of reconnection with nature and often centers on water as both a symbolic and literal source of life. Working exclusively in natural environments, Karpushenko creates photographs that are entirely real—without the use of AI-generated imagery or digital manipulation. Her work is rooted in direct experience, transforming authentic encounters with nature into images that feel both extraordinary and deeply human.
An avid freediver and ocean conservation advocate, Karpushenko frequently works in remote marine environments and has spent years photographing and swimming alongside whales and other marine life. These experiences directly inform her artistic practice and ongoing exploration of the relationship between humans and the natural world.
Karpushenko has exhibited internationally throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America. Her solo exhibitions include “Where Dreams May Come” at Costello Carlo V, Monopoli, Italy (2024); “Ocean Breath” at Drifter, Bali, Indonesia (2023); “Ground Seesaw” in Seoul, South Korea (2022–2023); “Rising Woman” in Bali, Indonesia (2020–2021); and “Dancers” at ForteBank Kulanshi Art Space, Astana, Kazakhstan (2019). Her landmark exhibition “Ground Seesaw” attracted more than 117,000 visitors and featured over 200 works across more than 1,000 square meters of exhibition space.
In 2025, her film “Water Drop” was presented at Lincoln Center in New York. She also contributed imagery for a large-scale mural inspired by United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 and the UN Decade of Ocean Science, supporting global awareness around ocean conservation.
Her work has received numerous international distinctions, including First Prize in the SUGi x NAVA Photo Contest in the “People & Nature” category (2025), Professional Winner at the Fine Art Photography Awards for “Planet of Garbage” (2020), recognition from the PH Museum Project for “Plastic and the Sea” (2019), and First Place in the Gold Star Award for “A Human and a Force of Nature” (2019).
Her work has been featured in leading international publications including Vogue France, Vogue Germany, Harper's Bazaar, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, Nowness, Forbes Russia, Esquire, and Saatchi Online. In 2026, she was selected as the recipient of The Untitled Space Solo Exhibition Open Call Award, leading to her debut solo exhibition in the United States at The Untitled Space in New York.
Artist Statement:
“My ideas start from nature and take shape when I add a human into the environment. I may notice the shape of a rock, and see how it mirrors the female figure. I may see an animal in its wild habitat and remember that we were once wild too. I may swim through plastic in the ocean and wonder how it feels to be a fish with trash in its home. My art is a result of my desire to reconnect with the natural world — especially through water, the element we all came from. My art is also a movement — to inspire appreciation and passion for taking care of our planet and ourselves.
‘Human needs human’ is deeply personal to me. In 2020, all my equipment was stolen, and I created this series using cameras borrowed from friends. Cameras and drones were brought to me across different parts of the island, carried by people who supported the process. This experience led me to a simple but important realization: what matters most is not what you own, but what you carry within — and the human connections you build along the way. Nothing material can ever replace that.” — Natalie Karpushenko