About

Hanna Martynenko is a Ukrainian visual storyteller and picture book artist based in the UK.

Before moving into the arts, she worked in Ukraine for nearly twenty years in criminal and constitutional law. Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she relocated to the UK with her three children and began developing her artistic practice through children's illustration, storytelling, and community-based creative work.

Her debut picture book, The Most Ordinary Day, was selected for the dPICTUS Unpublished Picturebook Showcase at the Bologna Children's Book Fair 2026 and was also presented internationally at the London Book Fair.

Her illustration series Researcher received recognition at the 2023 Original Illustration Exhibition of the Chen Bochui International Children's Literature Award in Shanghai.

Alongside her authorial practice, Hanna creates workshops, school visits, and participatory art projects exploring home, belonging, memory, resilience, and imagination through storytelling, drawing, and collaborative making.

She is currently developing new picture book projects while expanding her community-based art and storytelling practice across the UK.