Some artists paint. Some sculpt. But Dasha Tsapenko grows her art. I remember the first time I encountered her work, it wasn’ just visually striking, it was revolutionary. It blurred the line between creation and cultivation. Dasha doesn’ see herself as the sole author of her works; instead, she collaborates with nature itself. Her textiles, garments, and installations are not merely crafted, they are nurtured. She prepares the foundation, then steps back to allow fungi, fibres, and microorganisms to shape the outcome. What emerges is something completely unique - art that breathes, evolves, and ultimately becomes part of the world in a way that traditional works never could. Her studio is unlike any I’ seen before. It’ not just a workshop, it’ part textile lab, part microbiology station, part experimental farm. A place where science and creativity intertwine seamlessly. She works with living organisms, primarily mycelium, the vast underground network of fungi that connects trees and plants beneath forests. But here, in her hands, mycelium doesn’ just connect nature, it creates. It grows into textiles, forming intricate patterns and textures, embedding itself into the very fabric of her art. It’ a process that is at once scientific and poetic. The unpredictability of working with living materials means that no two pieces are ever the same. She carefully prepares the ground, sometimes weaving or sewing textiles in a particular way to encourage the fungi’ growth in a desired form. But the final result? That’ left to nature.

Born in Lviv, Ukraine, based in Vienna, Dzvinya Podlyashetska is an artist whose work moves between the playful and the profound. Her art is a vibrant mix of comic-like figures, bold colours, and surreal compositions, capturing emotions that are often felt but rarely seen. She transforms the ordinary into something magical - people, animals, and everyday objects take on new meaning in her world, where naivety and sarcasm, love and chaos, laughter and melancholy exist in fragile harmony. Dzvinya’s journey into art began with a deep fascination for illustration and printmaking. She studied graphic design at the Ivan Trush Lviv State College of Decorative and Applied Arts before continuing her fine arts education at the Ukrainian Printmaking Academy. She has shaped a distinctive voice, one that blends storytelling with visual poetry. Her art is a reflection of human relationships, inner dialogues, and the constant push and pull between personal identity and external influences. Mental health is a key theme in her work, expressed through dynamic, exaggerated forms and rich textures that echo the complexities of emotion. Each piece is an invitation to pause, to look deeper, and to rediscover the joy of simplicity that is often lost in the rush of modern life. Exhibited across Europe and the United States, from the National Museum of Ukraine in Kyiv to the Volkskunde Museum in Vienna and the 17 Frost Gallery in New York. When You Don’t Expect at Breach Miami, have cemented her reputation as a rising force in contemporary art. Dzvinya doesn’t just create images, she creates experiences. Her art is a space where emotions take shape, where nostalgia meets the surreal, and where viewers are encouraged to embrace both the beauty and the chaos of existence.

Ivanka Nechyporuk was born in 1994 in Netishyn, Khmelnytskyi region, Ukraine. She obtained her master’s degree from Kamianets-Podilskyi National University named after Ivan Ohienko, specializing in art restoration. Since 2018, she has been living and working in Kyiv. Her work is primarily in the surrealist style, with a particular focus on paintings of geese. The artist chose this form of expression to convey her inner feelings. Her main mediums include painting, mixed media, and graphics. In her work, Ivanka draws inspiration from everything that surrounds her, especially nature, materials, textures, people, and animals. She is fascinated by the combination of seemingly incompatible elements. For example, she often explores unrealistic animal coloring or sharp contrasts between shapes and colors.

Artist and tutor from Kharkiv. I work in the genre of painting and installation, exploring the boundaries between reality and imagination through primary sensations, images and processes of transformation. Inspired by the works and life of Čiurlionis - Lithuanian composer and painter. In my practice, I address the themes of instability, transition and finding support in a changing world. A key aspect of my work is memory: its materiality, fragmentation and changeability. It manifests itself in multilayered structures that resemble the processes of birth, decay and rebirth, as if visualizing how memories germinate, collapse and form anew. The corporeality in my works is a carrier of memory. Organic textures hint at roots, flesh or connections that connect us with the environment and the past. Abstract forms and mythological allusions create a space for reflection on how individual and collective memories influence our perception of reality.