Biography

• Life

  Sofiia Kandaurova was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine.
  After the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022, she was forced to evacuate from her home country — first to Poland, then back to Ukraine, and eventually to Japan.
  Sofiia graduated in 2023 from Kyiv University of Culture. Since 2016, she had been a member of the VillGanovski Art Studio, where she spent six years developing her own ideas and artistic style.
  In 2023, Sofiia completed a course in traditional Ukrainian painting known as “Kyiv painting.” As a result, her works reflect a fusion of contemporary themes and traditional ornaments.
  She now lives and works in Kyoto, Japan.

  
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  Artist statement

  The central theme of my artistic practice is the search for one’s place in the world. I explore emotions such as disorientation, uncertainty about the future, and a deep sense of loneliness. These feelings often manifest in my figures — faceless, fragmented, as if torn apart by their own fears and inner conflicts. They lack wholeness, yet they instinctively reach out to one another, driven by a quiet hope to find connection and harmony amidst the chaos.
  
  Equally important in my work is the relationship between humans and nature. In an age dominated by technology and social media, we are slowly drifting away from reality, losing touch with our surroundings and ourselves. Through my art, I strive to reawaken this bond. Nature appears not just as a background, but as a living force — a mirror and a guide in the internal journey toward balance and self-discovery. My work reflects a deep longing to reconnect: with others, with the natural world, and with the forgotten parts of ourselves.