Combining microbiological practice with art phenomena which comes of as grotesque, bizarre, romantic, ironic, hyperbolic, extraordinaire but most of all beautiful, Dasha’s work is an evidence of how science and art interdependent and often highly symbiotic.

Dasha please give our readers a little introduction on you and your background and how art happened to you, how was life growing up?

Hello! I’m an artist, photographer and human, who enjoys life in all its shades and gradients! I finished BA Fine-Art course and after graduating I experience a lot of jobs (im sure its a common practice for artists, to undergo a lot of shits - to finally understand that art and the way of “artistic living and thinking” is what makes the heart beats faster and brings happiness and joy to the each cell of the body), like governmental, assisting, nail industry, gastronomic industry, tv.

When and how the petri dish idea and the art in microbiome came to you? Whats the story ? How was your very first encounter with the molds?

As for my practice, I got the idea almost 8 years ago while meditating on the Foundation course at University, but also because of my passion for medicine since childhood, which affects neural connections for the whole life, as I read a lot of medical encyclopaedias, did experiments with frogs, insects and mice. So this meditative enlightenment was both predictable and spontaneous. So once I “received” this kind of idea I have been searching for more info and found the notion of Science-Art and Bio-Art and my life changed for 500 degrees, because its an intersection of two spheres which Im in love with! So I could not believe my eyes, I discovered Eduardo Kac’s and Joe Davis’s works, to say that I was shocked and inspired - to say nothing!

Tell us the artistic process that you go through, the challenges and precautions that you undergo? As it always come as a surprise or you pre-plan the growth and seeding of bacteria?

It depends on an initial “growing” concept, so if im interested in exploring their free nature - I do free seeding, I can dance with the dish, or shout at it, or just leave for the air exposition, or say different words. When it comes about controlled growth, I use stencils, micro 3d printing, borders, additional elements, but from my experience - the most beautiful result is when they grow freely, and I can draw a parallel to people here - once you have any borders - your natural ability to glow and bloom becomes weaker and loose its potential. So when the growth is controlled and predictable, there is no way for the Creator to develop miracles. I find this truly intimate, poetic and very captivating. Nevertheless, we are living in a materialistic density and being in a balance between chaos and order in some case is our mission.

Art effects the psyche, mood and over all emotions of our being. I wonder what you go through on general basis while being in the process of creation?

Ahh my fav question! Yes it affects a lot! As I work with living media and hardening materials its always an adrenaline like process, because I have a very limited period of time, need to be concentrated and super ready to act. Agar nutrient firstly is a very liquid like water, but more dense, and I have 3-4 minutes to think about composition, layers, colourful relations, accents. Once all hardened I can work with spores and seeding process. For me this is a version of ecological emotional roller coaster, because it has curves like electrocardiogram, up and down, flat and up, down , down, up, flat - that’s what feel. Also for the dopamine system this is the best stimulus, as I see the new compositions absolutely every time, so if its a free seeding its a surprise and I become ecstatic and loosing my mind, can’t breath, as actually my art for me is a form of microdosing, because I feel there the God’s presence, to be honest this energy is the most powerful in the world, I even can’t describe it in words, but I can receive and send back with my art.

Science and art belong to one another but you make it much evident.. As modern artistic mediums and practices evolves, Along with the evolution of its role in society. What you’d like to say about intellectual shifts that conceptuality in art invites in people.

I think that now we are more and more into meta, and skills for example in crafts are already not on the top, as for example it was in past centuries, where we can see all of these paintings, sculptures and monuments - and its impossible to believe that its done with hands, that’s why we are still going to the museums, watching Da Vinci, Caravaggio, Bosch, Botticelli, Goya, Rembrandt, Bruegel. We need these “vibes”, which can illuminate skills, God’s energy, passion, time, healthy bigotry, dedication. But time is going, fast evolution is a new reality, neurogenesis never been so rapid, AI can read minds based on MRI scans is not it sick? I think that our case is to still save the human presence and its skills, but respect the technological progress together. So to keep the heart inside, filled with blood , pulsating, loving, exploding.

In the society where people are constantly looking for entertainment to make life an easy transition.. Art brings almost a paradoxical and ambiguous emotion. What do you expect from your viewers and buyers? What are you intending them to think and feel?

Firstly I want them to be free in the way of their perception, as I believe that art is a mirror and it reflects your inner self, no matter what you are exploring, helping to uncover hidden sides, so I want them to be sincere and brave, to meet their self, as Mercurius ter Maximus in the Emerald Tablet pointed : “That which is above is like to that which is below, and that which is below is like to that which is above.” And despite the egoistic patterns, I do not want to control the viewers minds. I love metaphors, and imagine that you are in the hall and you see a huge table filled with all possible food and cuisines in the world, I want you the only thing - to choose what you really want by inside, no-one is watching you or judging, or you can pass by, as you are not hungry. So I definitely see all forms of art as a nutrient to fulfil the soul, if you are ready and want to.

What else have you discovered ever since you started this, Any new revelations?

With every experiment, artwork, project I see that I am uncovering more and more hidden gems of my Id, ego and super-ego and this experience brings me an enormous power, strength and inspiration!

Last but not the least, what more exciting you are looking forward for self and your art world in 2023.

Since all of our limits are illusions - I want to expand the field of practice and work with bigger scale, tech equipment, scientists and brands. I love collaborations a lot, as its a perfect form of artistic synthesis, and looking forward for the upcoming interconnections and discoveries!