Dana is a resident of Bosacademie who will show new work during Vruchtbare Grond between September 19-28.
What motivates you to create?
My blue moments. As to say, whenever I’m feeling like being stuck in my room looking out of my window for hours - that’s when the best ideas arrive and my hands want to speak for me. Yes, i think my blues motivate me the best.
What’s your background?
I grew up in Yekaterinburg, Russia. I come from a so-called lower-class family that used to live on the outskirts of a big city famous for its rebellious people. Growing up in a non-artistic environment, my eyes always wandered to the people who actually did something on their own and didn’t get stuck in the system of overworking in a cafe just to cover their rent. I also wanted to have a chance not to think only about surviving. That’s where my biggest project of leaving Russia began. Since then, I’m rediscovering myself and what it means to leave your home. What does it mean to be abandoned by it and to abandon it yourself?
What's the purpose or goal of your work?
I feel that right now, I mainly want to get to know myself better. With this project for Het Bos, I’m trying to have a dialogue with myself, which has been suppressed for a long time because of the constant political challenges in life. That’s why I consider it my first self-portrait.