Born in Kiev, Ukraine (Formerly USSR) in 1956, Arina Malukova immigrated to New York in 1975. Here, she was instantly drawn to the dynamism of the city and vibrant contemporary art scene, and she set her sights on becoming an artist. She entered the BFA Program for Painting at the Pratt Institute in 1977. In 1979, Arina was awarded a Ford Foundation Award for her achievements in Painting while continuing her studies. Prior to her Graduation from Pratt in 1981, she held an internship at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, working on preparations for an exhibit featuring the collection of George Kostakis. After graduation, she began working and exhibiting her Paintings and Collages throughout the country and curating local group shows. Her style evolved as she continued to work and experiment with various techniques including wax (encaustic painting), calligraphy and collage. Her ideas and creative style were greatly influenced by the working artists of the time, including Philip Guston, Elizabeth Murray and Susan Rothenberg. Over the next decades, she continued as a working artist, and in 2013 she received an Associates Degree in Photography from the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology, further broadening the scope of her paintings to include photoshop and digital images. Arina continues to evolve her work and exhibit in New York where she lives with her family.