Xenia has been named a "discovery" of the Russian art scene not just for the sake of using a buzzword. Until recently the 34-year-old artist was unknown. Coming from a family of well-known Yakut artists, she graduated from The Saint Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design and for many years was trying to get away from her destined vocation. But her ideas for projects were being born, they matured, turned into sketches and have been neatly filed in folders, until finally Xenia dared to admit to herself that she was meant to be an artist ever since childhood. Neither a successful corporate career, nor a family, or any other activity could replace creative self-expression.

These words were spoken at the beginning of 2016. A year later it's evident that the "jump into the future" has happened. One after the other, Xenia's projects became well-known: "Black Ice", "Adults", "Your Future – My Past", exhibitions at the Winzavod Centre for Contemporary Art, ZART Gallery, Gridchinhall and at the Trekhgornaya Factory.

In her projects, Xenia explores how contemporary man is changing with the times. After all, we live in megacities, where people can disappear without a trace. Or do they really disappear? How is a new human born into this world and who is he now? The artist is fascinated by the duality of a modern man, who is torn between his roots and a cosmopolitan world, but this dilemma is presented in a simple and comprehensive way. Xenia's ability to clearly perceive and to deeply analyse what she has seen touches the viewer profoundly, creating a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions.

Xenia continues to work with glass, studying the infinite array of possibilities it provides. One of her next projects is a six-months art residency in Belgium, where her task will be to create a new sculpture project "Resources" based on making totem "serge" poles from glass, metal and wood.

The evolution of natural resources is another area of the artist's research. "In Lensk we had a relic pine forest nearby, – says Xenia. – I went there with my father, and he told me how long a cedar has to grow before it bears fruit. I was in awe of these majestic trees. However, the values have changed and oil became more important. A kilometre-long ditch for laying pipes has since appeared in our cedar forest." To show this changing image of the world Xenia will have the broadest palette of coloured glass (alike to using oil paints) at her disposal in Belgium. This presents an opportunity to implement complex technical solutions that have been previously unavailable in her workshop in Russia.
Modern materials also represent a certain transformation: from ordinary glass, clay and marble to polymer and composite materials. Using innovative materials and mixtures to create traditional images and meanings is also an important aspect of creativity.

This exhibition brings together Xenia's works from different years that trace the story of her growing up, her search for balance between integration into the global world and following the ancestral traditions, her interpretation of reality through the traditional Yakut symbols and contemporary idols.

The other room is akin to a children's world with their own idols – multi-dimensional figures of cartoon characters, which are seeking to capture the space as if in 3-D, bursting in through flat screens TVs.

For several years Xenia has been working as an art director of a company that produces children's toys, and this project constitutes her observations on evolution of play. The boundary between the real and the virtual is rapidly eroding. The children's room of the future can be imagined without any toys at all: a table and a gadget with the kids' favourite characters may be enough. Children are now more likely to fall asleep with an iPad rather than with a scruffy teddy bear.

Whether it's for better or for worse – time will tell, but for now we are looking at children's toys of today as artefacts of the XXI century, which the next generation will look at when studying our times.

For the viewer

Reminiscent of rare artefacts from archaeological excavations exhibited on velvet, the glass tablets with popular cartoon characters and games, created in the technique of glass bending, are shown here: Lalaloopsy, My Little Pony, Minions, Angry Birds, Peppa the Pig, Lightning McQueen, Monster High and others. Animated style-guides made of felt and acrylic are showcased on the walls: they remind us of the colourful and magical world of childhood, fragmented into pixels made of plush.

When you read a story of someone's successful start, you know that it says a lot, but it also leaves a lot out. So here are some questions about things that remained behind the scenes.

Xenia, artists rarely venture out into business territory. How did you do it and what has the experience given you?
From my experience working in a company, I have learned some of the most important lessons: how to work in a team and to respect deadlines, how to plan my own projects and bring them to the finish line, which was quite unusual for me before. Prior to my experience in business, I was a completely different person. I was unable to communicate, I existed out of time and space. I did not understand whether I could work at all and in what position.

Why does an artist need a career?
I often come across an opinion that a career can only hinder an artist, distracting him from his work and turning art into commerce. I don't agree. How can it interfere? With or without a career, you are the same person at heart and you would not be able to make any other paintings or any other artwork. However, a career gives you that positive impact and feedback that are very important.

Is that why you need to have a team?
Yes, the right team can strengthen you. I work as a creative director of the factory, but I'm still not a manager, my task is to come up with creative concepts. Therefore, in my own work I also have a manager – my sister Nadejda. She takes on the organizational and commercial tasks, plans the promotional strategy, and my task is to concentrate on my art. We are different and we do different things, but when we combine the efforts of different team specialists – the results are excellent.

And what is your team's ambitious dream? Or your personal dream?
I would really like to have huge furnaces for glass blowing – the complete production line. I want to create my own brand and to make glass sculptures based on my sketches. I have developed a range of large and small totems, which can become a talisman for someone's home. In addition, I want to create large park sculptures out of concrete and special glass. This material will withstand all kinds of weather as well as wear from nature and people. For example, I'd like to make a monumental totem of the Earth so that mankind will always remember that the purpose of our lives is not only to consume, but also to be grateful.