CREATIVE BIOGRAPHY
My name is Nastya Svoboda. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been drawing. It has always been my salvation and my ticket to a better life.
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CHILDHOOD AND
FORMATION OF WORLDVIEW
I was born in 1990 in a small town in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
I grew up in a religious post-Soviet society.
I spent the early years of my life in an orphanage and know little about my parents.
Around the age of 5, my grandmother took me under her care.
The post-Soviet reality of the 1990s was too harsh, so I sought refuge in drawing,
escaping into a world of fantasy. I often gazed at the moon,
imagining it as my home and believing that one day I would return there.
My upbringing was influenced by religious fanatics and state institution caregivers.
Early on, I realized that the philosophy of society was fleeting and full of
contradictions. I withdrew from people and retreated into my own world,
where I spent a lot of time drawing. My grandmother noticed my passion
and sent me to art school, for which I am very grateful.
EDUCATION AND WORK
01
At the age of 17, I moved to Dnipro, where I studied painting from 2007 to 2009 at the Art and Theater College. It was there that I understood that painting is not just creativity, but a kind of mathematics with its own laws.
02
In 2010, I moved to Kyiv, where I graduated in 2014 with a bachelor's degree from the M. Boychuk Institute in graphic design. The combination of academic painting knowledge and graphic design led me to illustration.
03
From 2014 to 2017, I worked as an illustrator in various animation studios, with my last job being at Skilz studio in 2015-2016. However, office work began to stifle my inspiration. Creativity turned into a commodity, lost its meaning and appeal for me. Despite the risks, I left office work in favor of freedom, though it often required sacrifices.
CREATIVE JOURNEY AND
FIRST EXHIBITIONS
In 2017, I began my personal creative search. My first works under the pseudonym "Dark Nastya" were in a dark surrealism style with elements of esoteric symbolism and Far Eastern motifs. The moon always played a special role in my work, and each painting was filled with symbolism and esoteric meaning. The sacred significance of every symbol and composition was carefully considered and placed with purpose.
In June 2022, my first solo exhibition took place at the Leer Gallery in Berlin—a small project titled "9 Commandments of Freedom, " where I shared my experience of spending two years in a Georgian prison. It was a project of 9 paintings and 9 text commandments, based on my lived experience, reflecting on how to remain free even within the walls of confinement. This experience deeply expanded my understanding of systemic values.
In July of the same year, I participated in a second group exhibition at the Bascs Gallery, exploring the theme of inner and outer freedom, touching on the concepts of imprisonment and the social framework we live in.
From 2022 to 2023, I also taught drawing to groups of people and provided art lessons for children.
Currently, I live in Kyiv and firmly believe that creativity must be honest. My paintings have grown deeper and more thoughtful, reflecting social and spiritual-philosophical contemplation.