Sasha Nikiforova

Discovering Sasha Nikiforova Artistic Universe

Meet Sasha Nikiforova: part production designer, part mad scientist of materials, and part explorer of beauty in unexpected places. For the past decade, she has been building entire worlds on film sets. These range from 18th-century palaces to surreal spaces where ice cream floats, and water glows with projections. Following this, after graduating from the Russian State University of Cinematography in 2017, she went on to work on feature and short films, historical series, commercials, and music videos. Meanwhile, alongside her film work, she explores ceramics, sculpture, painting, and biomaterials. She is always guided by her passion for materials, textures, and experimentation.

When she’s not busy bringing visual worlds to life, Sasha is likely hiking, swimming, or covered in paint during a rainy day experiment. For her, creativity isn’t a fixed spot on the map. It’s an ongoing adventure. And her art? It’s an invitation to share that journey.

We had the opportunity to talk to Sasha Nikiforova about inspiration, process, and the wonder she hopes her work sparks.

How would you describe your artistic universe to someone discovering your work for the first time?

My artistic practice emerged from my background in scenography and art direction, where I worked closely with space, props, and construction materials. Consequently, that experience shaped my ongoing interest in how things are made. This includes their structure, substance, and the contexts they create or exist within.

Moreover, I work across a wide range of media, from ceramics and glass to biomaterials, mycelium, and industrial materials. This comes from a strong curiosity about matter in the broadest sense. Its nature, internal logic, character, relationship to humans, and its impact on perception intrigue me. My approach is always rooted in research and experimentation.

Where do your inspirations come from?

It always begins with an impulse, a sharp, burning feeling that I need to try to materialize a certain sensation. In fact, inspiration is often a response to observing the world around me: nature, people, material culture, and everyday life. There’s always a desire to intervene, to transform what I see into something tangible.

From there comes reflection, self-criticism, and the collision of the idea with the physical world. This also includes materials, limitations, and reality. Often, this process leads to forms that resemble flowers, leaves, or other organic structures. But the journey always starts with a feeling.

Could you walk us through your creative process, from the initial idea to the final piece?

Certainly, for me, it all begins with a desire to get closer to the essence of things and to understand the material and its potential. I begin by testing possibilities, pushing boundaries, and observing how the material responds.

There’s always a dialogue between intuition and construction. Ideas evolve as they collide with the real world, with tools, gravity, texture, and fragility. A good example is my giant dahlia sculpture. At first, it looked like a simple organic form. But once I deconstructed it petal by petal, I discovered an incredibly complex structural logic hidden inside.

It felt like becoming both a student and an archaeologist, learning from the architecture of the flower itself. Along the way, mistakes, surprises, and discoveries shape the final outcome. The process becomes a relationship. Sometimes I lead, sometimes the material resists and redirects me. That dialogue is how I move forward.

What do you hope people feel or experience when they encounter your creations?

I hope people feel a sense of wonder, the same curiosity and joy I feel when noticing how surprising the world can be. For me, what matters most is staying open to that. Even something that looks familiar can feel completely new when seen differently.

Where can we currently discover your work?

I’m still an early stage artist, and my practice spans a wide range, from set design and urban installations to small-scale experiments with mycelium. For now, the most honest and complete place to discover my work is Instagram, where I share ongoing projects and experiments.

Sasha’s universe is not about perfection or predictability. It’s about dialogue, curiosity, and the joy of being surprised by the world (or by a stubborn piece of clay). Whether she’s reconstructing a 19th-century ballroom, sculpting a flower that outsmarts her, or hiking in search of inspiration, her work reminds us that creativity isn’t a straight line. It’s a messy, playful, and deeply human path.

So, if you’re ever scrolling Instagram and stumble upon levitating ice cream or a flower that looks like it might be plotting something, you’ve probably just entered Sasha’s world. And trust me, it’s a place worth staying.

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