Hi, my name is Sofiia Melnyk. I’m a Ukrainian illustrator and animator based in Stuttgart, Germany.
From 2013 to 2018, I studied at the Animation Institute of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. Since graduating, I’ve been working as a freelance illustrator, animator, animation supervisor, and designer.
As an illustrator, I work on books, music albums, and editorial projects. Some of my recent collaborations include children's books WHAT IS THIS? UKRAINIAN LITERATURE // «Що воно таке? Українська література» by Anastasiia Yevdokymova (selected for the «Amazing Bookshelf» at the Bologna Children's Book Fair 2026) and VANDALISM // »Вандалізм« by Valeriia Savotina, as well as album artwork for the band KAUAN. I also collaborate with newspapers and magazines, including DER DEUTSCHEN BÜHNE.
As an animator and designer, I work on short films, feature films, and series for both television and cinema. In my own work, I’m particularly interested in documentary film and in exploring ways in which animation can tell stories about reality.
My animated short film MARIUPOL – A HUNDRED NIGHTS (2023) has been invited to numerous international film festivals and has received several awards, including the Ukrainian Film Academy Award for Best Animated Film.
I also work in theatre, where I develop visual concepts and create dynamic, fluid stage worlds through live drawing and animation. I’ve collaborated several times with GOGOL FEST and DAKH Theatre in Kyiv, as well as with the Münchner Kammerspiele, Deutsches Theater Berlin, Volkstheater Wien and Nationaltheater Mannheim. I also have a close creative collaboration with director Jan-Christoph Gockel, with whom I’ve worked on productions including GREEN CORRIDORS, UKRAINOMANIA, and OH SCHRECK! In 2026, I collaborated with opera director Cordula Däuper on Mozart’s THE MAGIC FLUTE at the Nationaltheater Mannheim, creating the animations and co-designing the stage design. The production received positive reviews, with its visual approach being an important part of the overall experience.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, the war and its impact on Ukrainian society and culture have become a central part of my artistic work. Through my films, illustrations, and live performances, I try to explore and communicate different aspects of Ukrainian reality and to bring Ukrainian stories, experiences, and culture closer to audiences outside Ukraine.
