She was born in 1966 in Moscow. She studied at School No. 1, where she became close to future members of the World Champions group (G. Abramishvili, B. Matrosov, K. Latyshev).

1984-1985. studied at the Moscow State Pedagogical University (former. Stroganovskoe), 1985-1989 at the Moscow Polygraphic Institute. Since 1986, he has been actively participating in exhibitions. Member of the Hermitage Association.

Katerina Kovaleva's art is extremely diverse. He experiments with various materials, often using collage techniques. The author of a number of sculptural objects.

In 2017, she was a participant in the Antarctic biennale project, within the framework of which she made a series of works Antarctic Diary, which was first shown on board the scientific vessel Sergei Vavilov in the Drake Strait, as well as at the 57th Biennale in Venice.

In 2018, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art hosted a large retrospective exhibition by K. Kovaleva "Routes of Memory".

In her works, the artist constantly explores the phenomenon of memory, its connection with the history of the country and a single person, referring to archival materials, documents and artifacts of the past. Such a great study was the exhibition "Medical history.The right to rest", which took place at the Rosphoto Museum (St. Petersburg) in 2021. This project was dedicated to the Soviet sanatorium recreation, the theme of oblivion and the decline of civilizations. Katerina Kovaleva is a scholarship holder of the Ministries of Culture of Russia and Austria. It is in private and public collections in Russia and abroad.