ANASTASIA AFONINA
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BORN 1995 IN MOSCOW, RU
BASED IN AMSTERDAM, NL
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BORN 1995 IN MOSCOW, RU
BASED IN AMSTERDAM, NL
ARTIST STATEMENT
Human Subject
Human subject has been influencing my practice since the very beginning. Through my early paintings I have been making up mental portraits of distinctive personalities, as I painted their physical features. To this day, my work is an exposure of a character, though lately their stories are told in other mediums than painting. As a protagonist of my work I often use a loner, who struggles to exist in a society, where they could not find a place. Both a fictional character and a viewer could be loners. Therefore, a viewer too could be the main character in a setup environment of isolation. Why does loneliness interest me? I believe the state of eternal ache is familiar to all of us. At times of discomfort, we either adapt to it, by changing something within or resist by justifying ourselves in a global contest. In both cases, our consciousness changes.
I attempt to turn the most private of all experiences into an event that could be shared through an interaction. Despite the dramatic nature of my work, the majority of people find comedy in them.
Building experiences to be shared by different people has always been interesting to me.Dystopian literature had the biggest influence on my way of thinking during adolescence and remains a powerful source of inspiration today. The nature of social behavior, namely humanity's ability to adapt or resist massive obstacles fascinates me. I am interested in the structure behind public consciousness that consists of a plurality of individuals.
Radicalism and its manifestations are other important sources of inspiration for me.
Building experiences to be shared by different people has always been interesting to me.Dystopian literature had the biggest influence on my way of thinking during adolescence and remains a powerful source of inspiration today. The nature of social behavior, namely humanity's ability to adapt or resist massive obstacles fascinates me. I am interested in the structure behind public consciousness that consists of a plurality of individuals.
Radicalism and its manifestations are other important sources of inspiration for me.
In my projects, I research how humans express dominance, arrogance as ignoring points of view other than their own. Throughout my practice, I have always been using various media. When starting a project I first focus on a concept alone without figuring out technical aspects.
As the project is about to be produced I pick a medium that communicates best. Technology and the ways humans relate to it are especially interesting to me.
In the end, any work I make should invite viewers to interact with it. Perhaps, successful cooperation between a viewer and the message I sent is the most important for my work.
As the project is about to be produced I pick a medium that communicates best. Technology and the ways humans relate to it are especially interesting to me.
In the end, any work I make should invite viewers to interact with it. Perhaps, successful cooperation between a viewer and the message I sent is the most important for my work.
CV
Education
2019 Make-up course School of Arts (Amsterdam, NL)
2013 - 2018 Bachelor of Fine Arts and Design Gerrit Rietveld Academie (Amsterdam, NL)
2017 Summer School Het Vijfde Seizoen (Den Dolder, NL)
2013 - 2018 Bachelor of Fine Arts and Design Gerrit Rietveld Academie (Amsterdam, NL)
2017 Summer School Het Vijfde Seizoen (Den Dolder, NL)
Work Experience
2014 - up to now Cofounder of Your own Planet (snurk.travel) Educational Project & Travel Agency Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Morocco
2019 - up to now FramerFramed, Light Atelier and Kinder Atelier, Amsterdam, NL
2019 De Player, Volunteer Rotterdam, NL
2018 Bijltjesdag / Day of Reckoning, Assistant Director for Gideon van Eeden NL
2018 Janieck - 'Does it matter' Assistant Director Music Video, NL
2015 - 2016 Discovery RU Freelance Journalist RU
2015 My Planet Freelance Journalist RU
2012 - Vremena Goda Assistant Curator Moscow, RU
2019 - up to now FramerFramed, Light Atelier and Kinder Atelier, Amsterdam, NL
2019 De Player, Volunteer Rotterdam, NL
2018 Bijltjesdag / Day of Reckoning, Assistant Director for Gideon van Eeden NL
2018 Janieck - 'Does it matter' Assistant Director Music Video, NL
2015 - 2016 Discovery RU Freelance Journalist RU
2015 My Planet Freelance Journalist RU
2012 - Vremena Goda Assistant Curator Moscow, RU
Exhibitions
2020 This Art Fair (Postponed due to COVID-19) Amsterdam, NL
2019 24H West 'WOW Mistral' Amsterdam, NL
2019 StartPoint Prize (Nominee) Annual Prize for European Art Graduates,
Arti et Amicitiae Amsterdam, NL
2019 StartPoint Prize (Nominee), Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, BG
2018 Graduation show Gerrit Rietveld Academie Amsterdam, NL
2017 Eye Museum 'Eye on Art' festival Amsterdam, NL
2017 Lab 111 Y-event, Pitch, Screening Amsterdam, NL
2017 Casco Utrecht, NL
2016 SSBA Salon 'Time Is the Fire in Which We Burn' Amsterdam, NL
2016 Brakke Grond, 'Uncut' Amsterdam, NL
2016 Stedelijk, 'BYOB' Amsterdam, NL
2016 Bunker0621 'Buffering' Amsterdam, NL
2014 Sane, 'Fruit', Amsterdam, NL
2012 MMOMA Moscow, Russia
2012 Garage Gallery Moscow, RU
2012 Live Art Street Festival Moscow, RU
2011 Clock-FaceSolo Exhibition, Moscow, RU
2006 MMOMA Moscow, RU
2007 MMOMA Moscow, RU
2019 24H West 'WOW Mistral' Amsterdam, NL
2019 StartPoint Prize (Nominee) Annual Prize for European Art Graduates,
Arti et Amicitiae Amsterdam, NL
2019 StartPoint Prize (Nominee), Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, BG
2018 Graduation show Gerrit Rietveld Academie Amsterdam, NL
2017 Eye Museum 'Eye on Art' festival Amsterdam, NL
2017 Lab 111 Y-event, Pitch, Screening Amsterdam, NL
2017 Casco Utrecht, NL
2016 SSBA Salon 'Time Is the Fire in Which We Burn' Amsterdam, NL
2016 Brakke Grond, 'Uncut' Amsterdam, NL
2016 Stedelijk, 'BYOB' Amsterdam, NL
2016 Bunker0621 'Buffering' Amsterdam, NL
2014 Sane, 'Fruit', Amsterdam, NL
2012 MMOMA Moscow, Russia
2012 Garage Gallery Moscow, RU
2012 Live Art Street Festival Moscow, RU
2011 Clock-FaceSolo Exhibition, Moscow, RU
2006 MMOMA Moscow, RU
2007 MMOMA Moscow, RU
2020 This Art Fair (Postponed due to COVID-19) Amsterdam, NL
2019 24H West 'WOW Mistral' Amsterdam, NL
2019 StartPoint Prize (Nominee) Annual Prize for European Art Graduates, Arti et Amicitiae Amsterdam, NL
2019 StartPoint Prize (Nominee) Annual Prize for European Art Graduates, Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, BG
2018 Graduation show Gerrit Rietveld Academie Amsterdam, NL
2017 Eye Museum 'Eye on Art' festival Amsterdam, NL
2017 Lab 111 Y-event, Pitch, Screening Amsterdam, NL
2017 Casco Utrecht, NL
2016SSBA Salon 'Time Is the Fire in Which We Burn' Amsterdam, NL
2016 Brakke Grond, 'Uncut' Amsterdam, NL
2016 Stedelijk, 'BYOB' Amsterdam, NL
2016 Bunker0621 'Buffering' Amsterdam, NL
2014 Sane, 'Fruit', Amsterdam, NL
2012 MMOMA Moscow, Russia
2012 Garage Gallery Moscow, RU
2012Live Art Street Festival Moscow, RU
2011 Clock-FaceSolo Exhibition, Moscow, RU
2006 MMOMA Moscow, RU
2007 MMOMA Moscow, RU
2019 24H West 'WOW Mistral' Amsterdam, NL
2019 StartPoint Prize (Nominee) Annual Prize for European Art Graduates, Arti et Amicitiae Amsterdam, NL
2019 StartPoint Prize (Nominee) Annual Prize for European Art Graduates, Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, BG
2018 Graduation show Gerrit Rietveld Academie Amsterdam, NL
2017 Eye Museum 'Eye on Art' festival Amsterdam, NL
2017 Lab 111 Y-event, Pitch, Screening Amsterdam, NL
2017 Casco Utrecht, NL
2016SSBA Salon 'Time Is the Fire in Which We Burn' Amsterdam, NL
2016 Brakke Grond, 'Uncut' Amsterdam, NL
2016 Stedelijk, 'BYOB' Amsterdam, NL
2016 Bunker0621 'Buffering' Amsterdam, NL
2014 Sane, 'Fruit', Amsterdam, NL
2012 MMOMA Moscow, Russia
2012 Garage Gallery Moscow, RU
2012Live Art Street Festival Moscow, RU
2011 Clock-FaceSolo Exhibition, Moscow, RU
2006 MMOMA Moscow, RU
2007 MMOMA Moscow, RU
Residences
2019 - 2020 WOW Amsterdam, NL
Talks
2021 - Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen Guest Speaker Rotterdam, Netherlands
Education
2019 Make-up course School of Arts (Amsterdam, NL)
2013 - 2018 Bachelor of Fine Arts and Design Gerrit Rietveld Academie (Amsterdam, NL)
2017 Summer School Het Vijfde Seizoen (Den Dolder, NL)
2013 - 2018 Bachelor of Fine Arts and Design Gerrit Rietveld Academie (Amsterdam, NL)
2017 Summer School Het Vijfde Seizoen (Den Dolder, NL)