My name is Daria Pugachova, I’m a multidisciplinary artist, performer, and art activist born in Rivne, Ukraine. I see my art as an invitation. Whether it’s a performance or a video, I create a space for people to take part. They become active participants so the boundaries between the viewer and the artist disappear. By performing in public places, I want to connect with everyone without exception. Some people never visit exhibitions. So I believe that art should step out of the galleries and become a part of everyday life thereby changing it.

For my project, "I WILL WAKE UP WHEN THIS FOUNTAIN IS FILLED UP", I returned to my hometown to perform in the destroyed Thumbelina fountain, a place of my childhood memories and dreams. I slept in the fountain while residents of Rivne could enter the space and fill it with life: paint on the walls, read a fairy tale, sing a song or fill in the questionnaire about the future of the fountain. After two days, the depressing image of the fountain had completely transformed. It turned into a stage, a place of freedom and expression, where everyone who entered the fountain was considered an artist. Finally, the mayor of the city promised to repair the fountain in 2022. But everything had changed with the war…

When russia started the war in Ukraine, I weaved camouflage nets for soldiers as a volunteer. This practice became the basis for my recent artwork with the net. The camouflage net made by women, men and children isn't only an object of protection, but also the concentrated energy of faith. When I think about the net, it's also about connection. I believe we can live in a future where everyone has a place to do what they love – working as one organism in freedom and independence. From Ukraine, I traveled to Bulgaria to continue my work. There I created a performance “I WILL CLOSE THE SKY SO YOU COULD BREATHE” as a response to the war. I envisioned this piece as an act of unity, inviting people to join and together create a symbol for the protection of the Ukrainian sky. However, no one came to support me, so I decided to perform anyway. Perhaps it reflects the situation in Ukraine and the world even more...

In my current work, I'm focusing on how to use performance as a tool to heal emotional pain. At Salzburg Summer Academy and PRAKSIS residency in Oslo, I led several workshops on pain and sadness. Working with voice, body and ritual, we discovered our wounds and made a symbolic journey from limitation to freedom. We performed in abandoned spaces such as a bunker in the forest or the ruins of a medieval monastery. By performing in destroyed places, we awaken them and activate the space with our energy and care. Especially because of war, I find that performance is such a powerful instrument to get through emotional pain. It's hard to talk about pain, but we can express it and heal through art. Performance creates a safe space where people being present together, can feel vulnerable, and at the same time not be judged. As an artist, I want to offer this space, guide through it, and then step aside so people can see their wisdom.