Khrystsina Vysotskaya shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Khrystsina, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
When I lose track of time, I’m always somewhere in nature. I need those pauses — moments when I step out of the constant flow of tasks and simply stay alone with myself, where I can hear the wind, the birds, and my own breathing. Nature brings me back to who I am: the landscapes, the horizon lines, the first flowers, awakening plants, forest paths. Each season has its own energy, and I live through it as part of my creative process.
Spring is pure magic for me — everything comes alive, and I come alive with it. Summer is the peak of color and emotion, a time when I paint a lot, work with oils, and collect the beauty of fleeting moments; sometimes a single spark in summer grows into an entire art cycle that lasts for years. Autumn is a soft slowing-down — a time of reflection, forming meanings, and diving into deeper questions. And winter is the great pause: a quiet space where I realize my ideas in the studio and translate everything that has ripened inside into material form.
Being alone in nature allows me to hear my inner voice again. In that silence, new colors, forms, and artistic visions emerge. Every time, it feels like a small rebirth — a return to myself and to the path of my art.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am an international artist working in the field of textile sculpture and contemporary tapestry. My projects have been exhibited across Europe, the United States, the UAE, Japan and beyond. I am a recipient of international awards and have participated in major art forums; one of the most meaningful works in my career is the monumental textile installation “Tree of Knowledge” for Expo 2020 Dubai, which received professional recognition. I have also completed artist residencies in Italy and Austria, and my works are held in private collections around the world.
I create woven sculptures, installations and tapestries, exploring nature as a living system, the inner landscapes of the human being, and the tactile poetry of matter. For me, textile is not just a material, but a language — one through which I speak about memory, time, roots, growth and our connection with the world. I work extensively with hand-weaving and experimental textile techniques, shaping dimensional forms that invite not only visual attention, but emotional and physical perception.
Today, I am developing two important series — “Kvetki i Rasliny” (Flowers and Plants), dedicated to the energy of nature and moments of blooming, and “Krayavidy Mary” (Landscapes of Dream), where tapestry becomes a contemplative space for the inner journey. I am deeply interested in the relationship between human beings and the natural world, as well as the idea of cosmic origins — the sense of an infinite universe both within us and around us. My work explores silence, color, breath, and the dialogue between Earth and Cosmos, between outer space and the inner world. Through material, I seek to reveal how we are woven into larger, invisible processes — at once universal and deeply personal. I recently presented these ideas at my solo exhibition in Saint Petersburg, which became an important milestone for me.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
My first teachers were my parents, Liudmila and Igor Vysotsky. They taught me discipline, ambition, and a true respect for work — to never give up, to dive deeply into anything I do, and to finish what I start. They believed in me even in the moments when I doubted myself. Because of them, my childhood was filled with constant learning: after school I would run to art classes or music lessons. I played piano and guitar, studied painting, ceramics, dance and many other disciplines. They showed me that work can be a source of joy, curiosity, and inner freedom.
In school, two teachers had a profound impact on me. My physics and astronomy teacher, Alexander Fedorenko, opened the universe for me — literally — and for a time I seriously considered becoming a physicist. Meanwhile, my world art culture teacher, Inessa Gankina, introduced me to literature, beauty and the emotional dimension of art. Through them I first realized that science and art are not opposites, but two different ways of understanding the world. That duality still lives in me and continues to shape my artistic thinking.
At the Belarusian State Academy of Arts, my professional formation truly began. Pavel Bondar was the first to show me that textile can be more than decorative art — that it can become space, structure, concept and living form. Artist and tapestry master Margarita Shchemeleva taught me depth, love for color and the foundation of artistic thinking. Later, in my master’s studies, my academic advisor Mikhail Borozna showed me how high you can set the bar in your profession — and how important it is to meet it with dignity and ambition. Another important mentor for me was curator and art historian Larisa Finkelstein, who taught me everything I know about curatorial work — from building exhibition concepts to collaborating with museums and galleries.
In my mature career, I have continued to grow thanks to new mentors. Anna Silberschmidt, with whom I trained at the Studio Aphorisma in Tuscany, opened new horizons in hand-weaving and reminded me that mastery is a lifelong journey. And in 2025, working with artist and Sorbonne professor Olga Kisseleva gave me a new level of clarity in conceptual art and strengthened my interdisciplinary approach.
But my greatest teacher is still life itself. It offers both trials and possibilities, and only we choose what to do with them — whether to break or evolve, to stand still or keep moving. I choose growth.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
“Trust yourself and stay true to who you are. You are stronger than you think, and you have everything you need to walk your path to the very end.”
Life is never one-dimensional. Joy gives way to pain, ascent is followed by challenge, light is always accompanied by shadow. Yet movement never stops. You must keep fighting and refuse to give up, even when it feels like everything is falling apart. Not every seemingly “right” decision is your path, and not every difficult step is a mistake. Life is choice — again and again. And only you determine what story you will ultimately live.
I would tell my younger self to believe in her own unique journey. The path of an artist is never an easy one — no one ever promised it would be. But it is a remarkable, honest and deeply fulfilling journey. And it is absolutely worth it.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I believe my closest friends would say that what matters most to me are people, creativity, and meaning. My family and my friends are my foundation — a space of love, trust, and support. My art and my teaching are a natural extension of those values. For me, it’s not a hierarchy but a living connection: one nourishes the other, and together they give strength, inspiration, and direction.
It’s important for me to create projects with emotional and cultural resonance. Beyond my long-term series, I am currently developing a large interdisciplinary installation titled “26.08.1789-2021-2025” inspired by the historic Tree of Gernika. This project explores the idea of communication between trees, ecosystems, and human presence through sensor data, woven structures, and color-coded textile layers. It was recently presented in the Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve in Moscow, installed directly across from the historic 1789 oak — a setting that revealed a powerful dialogue between trees, memory, and living ecosystems. It was created as part of Olga Kisseleva’s large interdisciplinary project “EDEN,” dedicated to the connection between art and science.
My creative path defines the course of my entire life. I consciously choose light — and I want to share that light with others: through my art, through teaching, and through meaningful exchanges on the international stage. It matters to me to travel, to be a cultural bridge, and to speak about my ideas and the heritage I carry. I think my friends would say that I strive to live with awareness, honesty, and generosity — and to create spaces where people can breathe, feel, and grow.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I am creating. It doesn’t matter what is being born at that moment — a large new project, the continuation of a long-term work, or a small piece that can be completed in just a few days. I feel it especially deeply when I am close to nature: its breath, its silence, and its cycles tune me to the right rhythm. In those moments, life feels honest and full — as if I am doing what I was meant to do, making the world a little brighter and a little kinder, even if only for a moment.
But the creative process is not only calm. It holds struggle, doubt, and inner fire. The strongest emotions appear at the idea stage, when a concept is still fragile and keeps you awake day and night. In my practice, once I sit at the loom, the project is already found — the composition is created, the materials are chosen, the solutions are in place. And then comes my favorite part: the moment when the idea becomes matter. When, after months of work, the tapestry is finally complete, I feel happiness and a deep release.
The brightest moment of harmony arrives when the artwork finds its place — in a museum, in a gallery, or in a home where it begins a new life. And if everything comes together the way I envisioned — or even better — a feeling of peace and quiet joy settles inside me. Then the cycle comes to an end: the calm slowly fades, and a new chapter begins — a new search, a new challenge, and new goals for myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://canvasrebel.com/meet-khrystsina-vysotskaya/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/khristina_vysotskaya/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khrystsina-vysotskaya-658895101/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cristina.vysotskaya/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@khristina_vysotskaya
- Other: email: [email protected]
Image Credits
Tania Stepanova @tani.st Vitalina Voroshkevich @vitalina.fox Aliaksander Kazharski @photographer_kazharski
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