Dunya Zakharova

Lately, after trying out many different techniques, I've realized that only embroidery brings me a sense of calm. My long winter days have passed in my studio-nook with embroidery. The monotonous repetition of the same movements puts me in a strange state of detachment from reality, which is often used in various spiritual practices. I can say that it helped me overcome my loneliest and most painful moments. Embroidery as a technique has always been a part of my practice, but it was never central; it was always an extension of my graphic lines, a complement to the forms.

A young Russian artist who explores themes of nature and ecology by sublimating personal experiences and constructing her own mythology. She creates images of ephemeral beings on the border between the real and the mystical, using felt and cotton threads.
Dunya was born in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Since 2008, she has participated in exhibitions in museums and galleries in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Paris, Toulouse, Grenoble, and San Francisco. In 2016, her first solo exhibition titled "Extinct Species" was held at Osnova Gallery in Moscow.
In her art, Zakharova employs various techniques, from traditional ones like acrylic and oil on canvas or paper to more original methods, such as meticulous and painstaking embroidery or the creation of objects and "soft sculptures" from different types of fabrics, felt, nylon, and synthetic padding. In her recent works, embroidery has become the dominant technique, which has always been part of the artist's practice but has now become a full-fledged replacement for paints.
All of the artist's works are carefully crafted images that resemble fantastical creatures from fairytales or dreams while also being a part of her personal world view. By sublimating her experiences, Dunya constructs a narrative that draws from her Yakut roots, themes of nature and time, mental disorders, various discrepancies, and anomalies.