Nataliya Velykanova is an artist, a VR enthousiast and the founder of Gate22.

The Gate22 project - Museum of Digital Arts and Design in Virtual Reality - began in 2019 with a pre-incubation program in Toulouse, it received the support of the Occitanie Region and won the crowdfunding campaign for the creation of its first immersive experience Introspexion in 2021 and Webby’s Wonder World in 2022. 

Since 2022 she gives lessons of creative technology and VR 3D creation in high schools in Toulouse.

Since 2020 she has been in charge of the Digital Culture Commission, she is a co-creator of the XR Community in Toulouse and co-organizer of VRJAM - the first virtual reality festival in Occitania.

Since 2013 she works a freelance graphic designer working in the fields of communication, visual identity, publishing, visual creation, UI/UX, web design, etc.

In 2012 she was a communication assistant and mediator at the BBB, a contemporary art centre in Toulouse. 

From 2008 to 2012 Nataliya presented her work as a graphic artist in solo and group exhibitions, she also managed a group of artists.

From 2002 to 2008 she worked as an architect and designer in architectural agencies in Ukraine and then in France.

She received a fine arts education and graduated in architecture in Ukraine and France.

She was born in Odessa (Ukraine) in 1982, and has been living and working in France since 2006.