Artist Statement:

My paintings are artifacts. I dig them out from the layers of my own perception.
I have a condition called synesthesia — I see sounds and smells and hear colors. For years, I studied Old Masters techniques and worked on scientific expeditions, living between the roughness of the earth and the silence of museums. When I paint, I don't just mix colors. I mix memories of metal, soil, gold, and urban noise.

I call my process "mental archaeology". I excavate images from the chaos. I use heavy oil paint, mineral pigments, gold leaf, and sometimes textiles or mechanical engraving. I build the surface like a wall of an ancient city — layer after layer — until the painting starts to breathe on its own.

I want my work to feel like a "time capsule." Something that holds both the archaic and the future. It's not about decoration. It's about creating a presence on your wall — a piece of energy that changes with the light, that pulls you in for a closer look, and maybe, if you're patient, reveals a secret.
Bio:
Daria Harlauta (b. 1987) is an artist working at the intersection of painting and object art. Her practice is based on the method of "mental archaeology" — a speculative investigation of cultural layers where the mythology of the past collides with the sensoriality of the digital age.

The artist's professional formation began with an academic education (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Herzen University, 2009) and was radically reinterpreted through years of field research. Participation in archaeological and ethnographic expeditions across the Arctic and Scandinavia (2009-2015) shaped her unique research perspective, while the need to express the complexity of the experience led to the development of her signature technique — "creative alchemy". This method synthesizes the technologies of the Old Masters, the materiality of natural elements (mineral pigments, metals, textiles), and the language of contemporary media.

Key milestones:
· Author of over 400 paintings and 13 solo exhibitions (as of 2025).
· Member of the Russian Union of Artists since 2017.
· Participant in 70+ exhibitions across Russia and internationally.
· Works held in private collections worldwide (Russia, EU, China, USA, Israel).
Since 2015, she has been actively integrated into the international art context, having held 12 solo exhibitions and participated in more than 70 group shows, including presentations in London, Rome, Budapest, and Tel Aviv. Her interdisciplinary approach finds its fullest expression in authorial projects where art serves as an instrument of cognition:

· In the Art&Science project "Art as a Method of Cognition" (Planetarium, St. Petersburg, 2022), scientific analysis was juxtaposed with artistic intuition.

· The olfactory project "Synesthesia" (Kochubey Mansion, St. Petersburg, 2022) realized the concept of a total, multisensory dialogue with the viewer.

· The project "4 Elements of the Silk Road" (Master Gallery, St. Petersburg, 2019) explored historical narratives through the lens of contemporary art and fashion.

Daria Harlauta's works are held in private collections in Russia, Finland, the Czech Republic, Italy, the USA, China, and other countries, as well as in the collection of the V.A. Noskin Open Museum in St. Petersburg ("Flame, Ash and Snow", 2019). Currently, the artist is working on the new series "Spring's Eve Dream", deepening the theme of "hybrid artifacts" — paintings and objects that balance on the edge of archaic ritual and the aesthetics of the Post-Anthropocene.
CV
Education:

2009 | Herzen University, Easel Painting (Bachelor of Fine Arts)

Solo Exhibitions:

2025 | “Spring’s Eve Dream”, Kalininsky District Cultural Center, St. Petersburg, Russia
2023 | “The Music of Colour”, Kalininsky District Cultural Center, St. Petersburg, Russia
2022 | “Mirror of the Sky, Mirror of Water”, Kalininsky District Cultural Center, St. Petersburg, Russia
Olfactory Project “Synesthesia” (in collaboration with E. Dargel), Kochubey Mansion; Art Library, St. Petersburg, Russia
Art & Science Project “Art as a Method of Cognition”, Planetarium, St. Petersburg, Russia
2020 | “Wind from the East”, VRoomGames Art Space, St. Petersburg, Russia
2019 | “Wind from the East”, Cultural and Exhibition Center of the Central Palace of Culture, Pavlovsk, Russia
2018 | “Spring Wind”, Central Library of the Vyborgsky District, St. Petersburg, Russia
“Awaiting Warmth” (co-authored with E. Larikova), Repino, Russia
2017 | “Journeys of the Soul”, Central Library of the Kalininsky District, St. Petersburg, Russia “Sun Mood”, Korkino Lake Park-Hotel, Russia
“Cycle” (co-authored with E. Larikova), SPb Gallery, St. Petersburg, Russia
2016 | “Taste, Colour and Light”, Pu-erh Gallery, St. Petersburg, Russia

Selected Group Exhibitions:

2023 | “Portrait of a Cat”, Union of Artists (curated by S. Garkavi), St. Petersburg, Russia
2022 | “Angels of the Renaissance”, Master Gallery, St. Petersburg, Russia
“Guarding the Sea Depths”, Peter the Great Naval Corps (curated by I. Vakhitov), St. Petersburg, Russia
“Canvas, Oil, Circle”, Art Square Gallery, St. Petersburg, Russia
“Petersburg Unites”, House of Friendship of the Leningrad Region, St. Petersburg, Russia
2021 | “New Era”, Albe Art Gallery (Abu-Dhabi, United Arabian Emirates, online)
"Space by the Creator’s Hands", Art Space “Fabrika”, St. Petersburg, Russia
“March Cat”; “Winter Symphony”, Brulloff Art Gallery, St. Petersburg, Russia
“SPACE”; “Snowiness”, VRoomGames Art Space, St. Petersburg, Russia
2020 | “Good Petersburg!”; “Autumn Roads”, Bogach Loft, St. Petersburg, Russia
“Moscow and St. Petersburg – Two Capitals” (curated by O. Ivanova-Meier), Hermitage-Vyborg / Peterhof / Moscow, Russia
“A Tale of Wanderings”, N.K. Krupskaya Palace of Culture, St. Petersburg, Russia
2019 | Art & Fashion Project “4 Elements of the Silk Road”, Master Gallery, St. Petersburg, Russia
“Project 8”, V.A. Noskin Open Museum Collection, St. Petersburg, Russia
“Christmas Exhibition”, V.A. Noskin Open Museum Collection, St. Petersburg, Russia
2018 | Art 17 Studio, St. Petersburg, Russia
“Magic”, Meyerhold Space (curated by N. Unksov), Zelenogorsk, Russia
2017 | “Marine Exhibition”, Cronwell INN Stremyannaya, St. Petersburg, Russia
“Remembering Summer”, Tepper Mansion, Pushkin, Russia
“Cats and Kittens”, Republic of Cats, St. Petersburg, Russia
2016 | 1st All-Russian Exhibition of Young Artists “Liner”, Kerch, Russia
“Bouquets and Gardens of Flowers”, Baltic Art Gallery, Kaliningrad, Russia
2015 | “Zoo Culture”, Union of Artists, St. Petersburg, Russia
“Art Without Borders”, Baltic Art Gallery, Kaliningrad, Russia

Festivals:

2023 | IX Animal Art Festival “ZooArt”, Museum of Urban Sculpture (curated by M. Krasilnikova), St. Petersburg, Russia
2022 | VIII Animal Art Festival “ZooArt”, Polovtsov Mansion (curated by M. Krasilnikova), St. Petersburg, Russia
2021 | III Art Festival “Portrait of a Cat”, Union of Artists (curated by S. Garkavi, catalogue), St. Petersburg, Russia
2020 | Contemporary Art Festival “Ponayekhali”, ExpoForum, St. Petersburg, Russia
VII Animal Art Festival “ZooArt”, Polovtsov Mansion (curated by M. Krasilnikova), St. Petersburg, Russia
VI Arts Festival “The Living Gulf of Finland”, Artmuza (curated by M. Krasilnikova), St. Petersburg, Russia
2019 | Contemporary Art Festival, Tel Aviv, Israel
2017 | “Art-Rostov 2017”, Rostov-on-Don, Russia
ArtExpo SPb, St. Petersburg, Russia
2016 | Art-Bazaar, St. Petersburg, Russia
2015 | International Art Week (St. Petersburg, Moscow, London, Budapest, Rome, etc.)
2014 | International Art Festival “Assembly of Arts”, Moscow, Russia
International Art Week, St. Petersburg, Russia
2011 | Russian-Italian Festival “Baraonda”, St. Petersburg, Russia

Awards and Nominations:

2015 | International Art Week, 2nd Prize, St. Petersburg, Russia
International Art Week, 3rd Prize, Moscow, Russia
International Art Week, 3rd Prize, Vladimir, Russia
2014 | International Festival “Assembly of Arts”, 1st Prize, Moscow, Russia

Private Collections, Museum and Foundation Holdings:

Artworks are held in private collections in Russia, Finland, Czech Republic, Latvia, Poland, Italy, China, Israel, and the USA.
The painting “Flame, Ash and Snow” (2019) is in the collection of the V.A. Noskin Open Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Additional Experience:

Curatorial Projects:
2021 | “March Cat”, “Winter Symphony”, Brulloff Art Gallery, St. Petersburg, Russia
“SPACE”, “Snowiness”, VRoomGames Art Space, St. Petersburg, Russia
2020 | “Good Peter!”, “Autumn Roads”, Bogach Loft, St. Petersburg, Russia
“A Tale of Wanderings”, N.K. Krupskaya Palace of Culture, St. Petersburg, Russia

Jury Member for Competitions and Festivals:
2020 | Art Show “We Are Not in a Museum” (online)
2018 | VI Competition-Festival “Sounds and Colours of the White Nights”, “Triumph” Creative Association, St. Petersburg, Russia
II Competition-Festival “Christmas in St. Petersburg”, “Triumph” Creative Association, St. Petersburg, Russia
2017 | XXIV Competition-Festival “Celebration of Childhood”, “Triumph” Creative Association, St. Petersburg, Russia

Professional Memberships:

2017 | Member of the Professional Union of Artists of Russia
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