ANASTASYA KIZILOVA
CO-LIVING WITH A PLANT
The Co-Living With a Plant project shifts the dualistic division between nature and culture by including plants as participants in reading groups and seminars. During these sessions, philosophical texts become a shared ground where humans and plants meet, and their interests intersect: the oxygen exhaled during discussions stimulates the process of photosynthesis. The substrate in which the plants grow becomes composed of fragments of a textual, symbolic body. This is an attempt to engage with the inhuman and the unarticulated—beyond language—by revealing its “nutritional value.” To minimize the distance between species, I created wearable objects. The project had a seasonal life; after some time, all plant participants were returned to the ground.
 Bauhaus Museum, Dessau, Germany, 2020. Xists: A Metabolic Laboratory Inspired by Solomon Nikritin. (Curator: Mikhail Lylov). Photo by Olga Belova |  |  |
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 Photo by Alexandr Belov |
MOSCOW RIVER AGE
The Moscow River Age explores the human-river relationship and presents a timeline of stories between 1919 and 2119. Systematic engineering in the last century drastically altered the destiny of the main waterway of Moscow. Dams and gateways locked its natural flow, channels connected it to the far seas, vast territories within the river basin became water storage. It suffered enormous human intervention. My contribution to this collective work is a video poem — a diary of a relationship with the river.
 The XXII International Exhibition of Triennale Milano: Broken Nature, Milan, Italy (2019) |  The XXII International Exhibition of Triennale Milano: Broken Nature, Milan, Italy (2019) |  The XXII International Exhibition of Triennale Milano: Broken Nature, Milan, Italy (2019) |
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 The XXII International Exhibition of Triennale Milano: Broken Nature, Milan, Italy (2019) |
HUNGER KITCHEN
The Hunger Kitchen is an installation and performance based on the diary of Ivan Zjilinsky. In this document, Zjilinsky describes daily recipes and inventive attempts to find nourishment from whatever was available, developing strategies for survival during the Second World War in Leningrad. The city, with a population of about five million people, endured a 900-day blockade without food, electricity, or external support. The installation included a calendar whose dates corresponded to the exact quantities of food items recorded in the diary.
 Barents Spektakel, Kirkines, Norway, 2020, Hunger Kitchen (Curators Neal Cahoon, Inger Blix Kvammen, Masha Kotlyachkova). |  Barents Spektakel, Kirkines, Norway, 2020, Hunger Kitchen (Curators Neal Cahoon, Inger Blix Kvammen, Masha Kotlyachkova). |  Kunstverein, Hamburg, Germany, 2015, «900 UND ETWA 26000 TAGE» (Curators: Haim Sokol,Lyudmila Belova, Mikhaela Мeilan) |
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 Kunstverein, Hamburg, Germany, 2015, «900 UND ETWA 26000 TAGE» (Curators: Haim Sokol,Lyudmila Belova, Mikhaela Мeilan) |  Kunstverein, Hamburg, Germany, 2015, «900 UND ETWA 26000 TAGE» (Curators: Haim Sokol,Lyudmila Belova, Mikhaela Мeilan) |
POSTCOMPOST
POSTCOMPOST came to me as a rhythm echoing POSTSOVIET—a shift from collapse toward regeneration, something associated with new life growing. Within this context, the lyrics by singer Egor Letov — “The plastic world has won” — are constantly present. It is a very specific context that I want to share more widely: the tension between decay and renewal, between synthetic permanence and organic transformation. The smell of soil and the warmth of autumn leaves carry this feeling.
I made this bed for us so we could sit and talk, giving the weight of our bodies to something that might never become soil.
 Atelie Mondial, Basel, Switzerland. Solo show as part of the curatorial art residency blind_spot (2019) (Curator Ivan Isaev). Photo by Ivan Isaev. |  Atelie Mondial, Basel, Switzerland. Solo show as part of the curatorial art residency blind_spot (2019) (Curator Ivan Isaev). Photo by Ivan Isaev. |  Atelie Mondial, Basel, Switzerland. Solo show as part of the curatorial art residency blind_spot (2019) (Curator Ivan Isaev). Photo by Ivan Isaev. |
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 Atelie Mondial, Basel, Switzerland. Solo show as part of the curatorial art residency blind_spot (2019) (Curator Ivan Isaev). Photo by Ivan Isaev. |  Atelie Mondial, Basel, Switzerland. Solo show as part of the curatorial art residency blind_spot (2019) (Curator Ivan Isaev). Photo by Ivan Isaev. |  Atelie Mondial, Basel, Switzerland. Solo show as part of the curatorial art residency blind_spot (2019) (Curator Ivan Isaev). Photo by Ivan Isaev. |
 Atelie Mondial, Basel, Switzerland. Solo show as part of the curatorial art residency blind_spot (2019) (Curator Ivan Isaev). Photo by Ivan Isaev. |
SHAWL
Hand-knitted from unraveled second-hand garments, this work draws on a lifelong relationship—to materials, to making, and to my mother. As far as I can remember, her hands were always busy with threads and needles. Since second-hand shops first appeared after the collaps of USSR in my city in the early 1990s, she has been buying cashmere pullovers, unraveling them into thread, and knitting them anew.
When I left home for my studies, we were unable to see each other for a long time. Before I left, she made me a warm shawl so I would not get cold during that long, dark period. When we met again a few years later, she gave me many more as gifts. I took them with me, stitching them together for easier transportation, forming Borderlines (2024).
Now, I work with this shawls—accepting my mother’s language of love—and transform them into a sculptural form. Rooted in memory and migration, the piece reflects on care, labor, and the value of slow, continuous handwork.
 Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway. THE WORLD IS A KNOT IN MOTION (Curator: Håkon Lillegraven) Photo by Julie Hrnčířová |  Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway. THE WORLD IS A KNOT IN MOTION (Curator: Håkon Lillegraven) Photo by Anastasya Kiziliova |  Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway. THE WORLD IS A KNOT IN MOTION (Curator: Håkon Lillegraven) Photo by Karen Disen |
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 Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway. THE WORLD IS A KNOT IN MOTION (Curator: Håkon Lillegraven) Photo by Anastasya Kiziliova |  Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway. THE WORLD IS A KNOT IN MOTION (Curator: Håkon Lillegraven) Photo by Anastasya Kiziliova |  Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway. THE WORLD IS A KNOT IN MOTION (Curator: Håkon Lillegraven) Photo by Anastasya Kiziliova |
 Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway. THE WORLD IS A KNOT IN MOTION (Curator: Håkon Lillegraven) Photo by Anastasya Kiziliova |  Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway. Work in progress. Photo by Anastasya Kiziliova |  Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway. Work in progress. Photo by Anastasya Kiziliova |
THE ARTIST´S UNIFORM
How do artists know what “uniform” means? Artists don’t usually arrive at a single fixed definition of “uniform.” They build their understanding through observation, use, and context—because in art, a uniform is never only technical; it is also cultural, social, symbolic, and personal.
The Artist Uniform project emerges directly from my personal and professional trajectory: from many hours, days, and years spent behind the sewing machine on my way toward a professional level in fashion design, and later from equally long periods spent behind the computer with the intention of reaching a similar level of professionalism in contemporary art. How can an artistic profession itself be framed?
In this experiment, I use the uniform as a tool—a research instrument that allows me to observe and connect the collective body with collective inquiry.
 The Mattress Factory Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US Pop-Aganda: Revolution & Iconography, 2022 (Curator: Tavia La Follette) |  |  Drawing by Elisa Frants |
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 |  Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway. THE WORLD IS A KNOT IN MOTION (Curator: Håkon Lillegraven) Photo by Julie Hrnčířová |
FOUND PROJECT
FOUND PROJECT is an archive of unrealized artistic ideas, which the authors share for free. All projects are presented anonymously so that everyone may freely choose an idea for themselves to realize. The archive began in 2016 and since then is constantly replenished on a regular basis. At the moment, there are about 40 ideas in the archive.
From the moment of its launching to the present day, The FOUND PROJECT archive has visited the cities of Yekaterinburg, Minsk, Moscow, Berlin, and Helsinki. In each new city, the project expanded thanks to implemented ideas, objects and interviews with those wishing to take part in the donation of intellectual property. Finally, The FOUND PROJECT remained as an independent art practice in several of listed cities.
The project exists in two dimensions - virtual and material. In virtual format, FOUND PROJECT is an archive open for exchange of ideas.
The material part consists of fabric folders designed by Anastasya Kizilova, filed with drawn ideas and short texts; a portable mobile station with the full version of the archive; documentary film about the first case of realization. All ideas in the archive are anonymous but if the idea has realized and both sights are interested in meeting, they can do it. The film is about it.
 Aperto Gallery, Berlin, 2018 (Curator: Elena Ushina) Photo by Anastasya Kizilova |  Photo by Nikolay Nikitin |  Photo by Nikolay Nikitin |
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 |  Photo by Evgeniya Zubchenko |
MAGAZINE (NOT) FOR KIDS
Magazine (Not) for Kids is a hybrid/a pantomime journal/a fast zine created by designer Ksenia Belaya and me together with local residents for the Art Prospect Festival . The project takes the form of workshops for children and their parents, brothers, sisters, grandmas, grandpas, neighbors, and friends. Special surprises are in store for newborns and those just learning to talk! You can find Magazine (Not) for Kids HERE.
 Art Prospect Festival, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2018 (Curator: Lera Lerner) |  Art Prospect Festival, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2018 (Curator: Lera Lerner) |  Art Prospect Festival, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2018 (Curator: Lera Lerner) |
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 Art Prospect Festival, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2018 (Curator: Lera Lerner) |  Art Prospect Festival, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2018 (Curator: Lera Lerner) |
SUPREMATIC SESSION
The project was presented in the form of a performance in the parallel program of Manifesta 10 at the Art Prospect public art festival. I started a dialogue with viewers through a game. Passersby were invited to create a composition on a Suprematist table. Most of the viewers did not know anything about Suprematism before that session; the game allowed them to learn more.
The project was made for public space. It included a sculpture that could be easily installed on any carousel in any courtyard. The object was made of a flexible, lightweight material and could easily be turned into a small bag. It was possible to carry this object while walking through the district.
 MANIFESTA 10, educational program in art mediation and participatory art, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2014. (Curator Kendal Henry) |  MANIFESTA 10, educational program in art mediation and participatory art, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2014. (Curator Kendal Henry) |  MANIFESTA 10, educational program in art mediation and participatory art, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2014. (Curator Kendal Henry) |
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LOCKER ROOM TALK
Our collaborative team gathered because of a piece called Locker Room Talk. It was written by the Scottish playwright Gary McNair and published in 2017. We were the first to translate it into Russian. This verbatim play consists of 14 chapters, comprised of real-life conversations with men. Our performance is a conference consists of 8 presentations, each based on different chapters. We have used the original text of the play as a starting point for our field research. Instead of performing the piece we quoted and described the most striking parts of these conversations and deconstruct the situations that these men refer to.
 |  Locker Room Talk |  Locker Room Talk |
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 Locker Room Talk |  Locker Room Talk |  Locker Room Talk |
 Locker Room Talk |
Meyerhold Center, Moscow, Russia, 2019 Costume Design for LOCKER ROOMS TALK (Created by Ada Mukhína (direction), Dasha Iuriichuk (choreography), Olga Tarakanova (dramaturgy) with the participation of Alisa Kibin (sound design) | Locker Room TalkMeyerhold Center, Moscow, Russia, 2019 Costume Design for LOCKER ROOMS TALK (Created by Ada Mukhína (direction), Dasha Iuriichuk (choreography), Olga Tarakanova (dramaturgy) with the participation of Alisa Kibin (sound design) | Locker Room TalkMeyerhold Center, Moscow, Russia, 2019 Costume Design for LOCKER ROOMS TALK (Created by Ada Mukhína (direction), Dasha Iuriichuk (choreography), Olga Tarakanova (dramaturgy) with the participation of Alisa Kibin (sound design) |
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Locker Room TalkMeyerhold Center, Moscow, Russia, 2019 Costume Design for LOCKER ROOMS TALK (Created by Ada Mukhína (direction), Dasha Iuriichuk (choreography), Olga Tarakanova (dramaturgy) with the participation of Alisa Kibin (sound design) | Locker Room TalkMeyerhold Center, Moscow, Russia, 2019 Costume Design for LOCKER ROOMS TALK (Created by Ada Mukhína (direction), Dasha Iuriichuk (choreography), Olga Tarakanova (dramaturgy) with the participation of Alisa Kibin (sound design) | Locker Room TalkMeyerhold Center, Moscow, Russia, 2019 Costume Design for LOCKER ROOMS TALK (Created by Ada Mukhína (direction), Dasha Iuriichuk (choreography), Olga Tarakanova (dramaturgy) with the participation of Alisa Kibin (sound design) |
Push Majeure
Collaboration on costume production for Ingvild Bertelsen’s graduation performance Push Majeure (MA Dance, the National Academy of the Arts, 2023).
For this work, we conducted an experiment: after the first meeting and a short conversation, I mapped out ideas based on Ingvild’s wishes—punk music, layers, urban cultures, and the relationship between body and society. I prepared some scraps—tough textiles, threads, and fragments of clothing—and suggested a 10-minute improvisation, during which the performer could find their own way to accept and engage with the given situation. Through this process, the costume was developed; my goal was to make it fit well and be comfortable to dance in.
 Video still from documentation by Yaniv Cohen |  Photo by Anastasya Kizilova |  Photo by Anastasya Kizilova |
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 Video still from documentation by Yaniv Cohen |