Polina Somochkina is a contemporary artist and a curator based in Istanbul, an art director and co-founder of the Istanbul Artist Residency. She holds a master's degree in art restoration from Lviv National Academy of Arts, Ukraine. Her undergraduate degree is in arts and art restoration, from Lviv State College of Decorative and Fine Arts named after Ivan Trush. In 2015 awarded with Gaude Polonia Diploma by Minister of Culture of Poland. After several years at the Restoration studio “Studion” in Lviv, Ukraine where she curated the conservation and restoration works of easel paintings, she moved to Turkey namely Istanbul. In 2019 she cofounded an artist residency platform in Istanbul where she currently works as an art director.