Daria Pugachova is an artist, performer and art activist born in Rivne, Ukraine. Daria uses participatory practices to unite communities and integrate art into daily life. She explores the themes of the transformation of place and society through the direct presence of the artist.
In 2021, Daria received a grant for a project “Microcosmos” in Poltava, Ukraine. On February 11, 2022 the solo exhibition of the artist opened in Jump Contemporary Art Centre. Two weeks later, Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In March 2022, Daria was invited for an artist residency at Radar Sofia in Bulgaria. In Sofia, she created the performance “I Will Close The Sky So You Could Breathe” about the war in Ukraine. She presented the “Microcosmos” in front of the abandoned cinema “Cosmos” in Plovdiv (Context AiR residency) and opened two solo exhibitions MICROCOSMOS / SKY OF WAR connecting the projects she made before and after the invasion started. In 2023, Daria created a performance “CITIES OF WAR” in front of The UN International Court of Justice in the Hague, Netherlands. She currently lives in Sofia, Bulgaria and participates in international residencies and art programs to bring visibility to Ukraine through her projects.
Daria studied architecture at the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture. In 2013-2019, she played drums in the band Panivalkova.
The Shelter for Freedom (I Follow the Fire) exhibition/performance during the Art Prospect Residency at Salaam Cinema Baku, 2023 (video in Azerbaijani)
Profile photo by Julia Weber
