New Jersey born artist (b. 1994) Natalia Petkov is a multimedia artist whose practice integrates nontraditional methods of image-making and direct interaction with the natural world to explore the interconnectedness between humans and the environment.

Petkov earned her MFA from Pratt Institute in 2021 and her BFA from Guilford College in 2016. She was an Artist in Residence at the Burren College of Art in County Clare, Ireland (2024), where she hiked and photographed the western coast’s dramatic landscapes. In 2026, she will participate in The Arctic Circle Art and Science Expedition, an artist residency bringing together artists and researchers to live and work within the Arctic environment creating art and engaging with the pressing realities of planetary change.

In 2023, Petkov received the Award for Photography juried by David Max Horowitz, Assistant Curator at the Guggenheim Museum, during the Greenwich Art Society’s 105th Annual Juried Exhibition. She lives and works in New York City, continuing to explore forests and landscapes across the U.S. and abroad; walking, observing, and creating as a way of deepening our understanding of place and presence.

My work focuses on interconnectivity between all things as well as decay as a means of transformation. My studio practice begins with long walks as I closely observe my surroundings and collect materials that jump out to me, for example, dead birds, rusted objects, or fallen trees.

I expose the materials to water, extreme temperature variations , and wind, while also experimenting with art making techniques like printmaking, photography, and video.

As my materials and methods change, I am always working towards an understanding of the world we inhabit through the lens of interconnectivity.