Diana Smykova is a visual artist who works at the intersection of documentary and fine art photography, often incorporating video and text into her projects.

Born in the Far Russian North, she has explored culture of Arkhangelsk region and her own identity through her work. Traveling around her homeland and living in remote northern villages, she focused on personal stories of local people and intimate topics such as sacred landscape, beliefs, folklore.

Currently she lives as a nomad and constantly travels, being based in Egypt. Her latest project is dedicated to the theme of home and the perception of it by people from different countries, covering topics such as trauma, migration, identity.

She is a member of Women Photograph organization and Russian Photography Society. She has studied photography at the Academy of Documentary and fine art photography «Fotografika» (2021) and documentary filmmaking at the New York Film Academy (2024)




Exhibitions

2019 - 'From White Sea to Sahara desert' personal exhibition, Arkhangelsk
2019 - group exhibition, Northern Sea Museum, Arkhangelsk
2021 - group exhibition in Russian Geographic Society, Moscow
2021 - group exhibition, Fotoruat, Austria
2022 - 'Postcards home' project, group exhibition at non-profit organization Nochlezhka, Moscow, Russia
2022 - group exhibition at NFTNYC Superchief Gallery, New York, USA
2022 - group exhibition in Center of Modern Innovations, Borisov Museum, Arkhangelsk
2022 - 'Postcards home' project, festival of contemporary art 'Mycelium', Georgia
2023 - 'Postcards home' project, personal exhibition at Dissolution gallery, Tbilisi, Georgia

Education

Academy of Documentary and art photography «Fotografika» — 2021
«CSI studio» experimental program for artists by center of contemporary art «ARKA» and Center of Modern Innovations — 2022
New York Film Academy — 2024

Public-talks, curating

Ges-2 House of Culture, Moscow — Public-talk «Traditional culture and modernity», 2022
Curator of photography programs in Pexels (Canva), 2021