Artist Statement (Niko Yuvienco)

Growing up in Queens, New York, I have been exposed to many cultures and art forms that have had major impacts in my life.  As a young boy, growing up in an Asian-American household, my parents would introduce and educate me to different walks of life including sports, music and travel.

Musical influences such as John Legend, The Beatles, and Michael Jackson and sports like basketball, soccer, and snowboarding are just some of the major influences in my life that I draw a lot of my creative ideas.

Although I have been introduced to many things throughout my life, I still feel in a way, that I am still trying to find myself.  For me, all I know is that in whatever I create in the future, be it in sports or music or another field, I would love to be able to reach out to people on a more personal level and talk about life experiences through my work.

I am not entirely  sure just how I will accomplish this, but all I know is that if I just speak from the heart, I know that my audience will understand what I am conveying in my works and that they too will hopefully be influenced by my art on a personal, emotional and productive level.