Embedded Files
Download the Exclusive Bali Art Guide Map
Artist Statement
Artist Statement
My art is my way of listening to what nature is trying to tell us — and asking what happens when we do not. I am drawn to fragile places and species standing on the edge of disappearing, and I use my art to tell their stories. I work with what is at hand: charcoal, thread, discarded bits of plastic found on the beach. These scraps carry traces of us — our neglect, our waste — and I try to transform them into quiet reminders that what we throw away never really goes away. Combining different media, I often find myself working at the meeting point between beauty and discomfort.
Artist Biography
Artist Biography
Sofiya Shukhova (she/her) is an environmental artist. In her practice, art, mindfulness, and nature conservation go hand in hand. Born in Moscow and living in Bali since 2023, Sofiya’s work explores the fragile balance between nature and human life. Making helps her process her own grief for the vanishing wild world, but more importantly, she hopes it stirs something in others — a sense of care, responsibility, or simply the urge to look closer. Her artworks have been exhibited in Singapore, US, UK, Russia and Indonesia. Her last solo exhibition 'Echoes of the Tide' was held in Tat Art Space in Denpasar in 2025.
Style: Mixed media environmental art
Mediums: Mixed media visual art
Exhibitions
Exhibitions
JUNE 2026 - JUNE 2026: ‘Ubud Open Studios’, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia;
JAN 2026 - FEB 2026: ‘Bertamu’, Mabiang Seni, Bali, Indonesia;
NOV 2025 - FEB 2026: ’Takeway Art #2’, Neha Hub, Cilandak, Jakarta, Indonesia;
SEP 2025: ‘Art&Bali’, Nuanu, Bali, Indonesia;
AUG 2025 - SEP 2025: (SOLO) ‘Echoes of the Tide’, TAT Art Space, Bali, Indonesia;
JAN 2024 - FEB 2024: ‘Love for Nature,‘ Canang Sari Villas, Bali, Indonesia;
AUG 2023 – AUG 2023: ‘Waves of Change Festival‘, ArtScience Museum, Singapore;
JUL 2023 - NOV 2023: ‘Re-Imagining Conservation: From Many Viewpoints’, National Museum of Wildlife Art, US;
SEP 2022 – OCT 2022: ‘Waves of Change Festival‘, ArtScience Museum, Singapore;
JUN 2022 – JUL 2022: (SOLO) ‘Flying in-depth with stingrays. Art inspired by science exhibition, ‘Sustainable Singapore Gallery, Singapore;
NOV 2021 – MAR 2022: (SOLO) ‘Searching for a song’, Timiryazev State Museum of Biology, Moscow, Russia.
MAY 2021 – JUNE 2021: ‘Wildlife Artist of the Year 2021’, online;
OCT 2019 – NOV 2019: ‘Explorers against extinction’, various locations, UK;
MAY 2019 – JUNE 2019: ‘Wildlife Artist of the Year 2019’, Mall Galleries, London, UK;
SEP 2017 – DEC 2017: (SOLO) ‘Friends from the wild. Notes of an animal artist’, Zoological Museum of Moscow University, Moscow, Russia;
JULY 2016 – AUG 2016: ‘Golden Turtle’10’, Manege, Moscow, Russia;
DEC 2015 – JAN 2016: (SOLO) ‘Face-to-face. Animal portraits’, Timiryazev State Museum of Biology, Moscow, Russia.
Brain Spoon
Brain Spoon
2025Found wood, plastic spoon and fishing net, ceramic, glue
19 x 29 x 3.5 cm Inspired by research suggesting we now carry the equivalent of a spoonful of plastic in our brains, ‘Brain Spoon’ is a quiet reflection on contamination — not just of the body, but of our thoughts, memories, and the decisions we carry. A plastic spoon found in Seminyak holds a central place in a ceramic brain, which rests atop a piece of wood from Keramas. The muted palette of beige, brown, and soft blue gives the piece a deceptive sense of calm.
19 x 29 x 3.5 cm Inspired by research suggesting we now carry the equivalent of a spoonful of plastic in our brains, ‘Brain Spoon’ is a quiet reflection on contamination — not just of the body, but of our thoughts, memories, and the decisions we carry. A plastic spoon found in Seminyak holds a central place in a ceramic brain, which rests atop a piece of wood from Keramas. The muted palette of beige, brown, and soft blue gives the piece a deceptive sense of calm.
Footprint
Footprint
2025Found shoe soles, thread, on canvas
60 x 40 cm ‘Footprint’ presents two soles found washed ashore and sewn onto the canvas. Flip-flops and shoe soles are among the most recognisable objects found on Bali’s beaches. The piece reflects on the footprints we leave behind on this planet — in the ocean, shoes are unnecessary; yet on land, they trace the paths we choose, the imprints we cannot erase.
60 x 40 cm ‘Footprint’ presents two soles found washed ashore and sewn onto the canvas. Flip-flops and shoe soles are among the most recognisable objects found on Bali’s beaches. The piece reflects on the footprints we leave behind on this planet — in the ocean, shoes are unnecessary; yet on land, they trace the paths we choose, the imprints we cannot erase.
Wherever You Sail, I Wish You a Double Happiness
Wherever You Sail, I Wish You a Double Happiness
2025Found fragment of metal plate, magnets, tape, pen, on canvas
60 x 40 cm This piece features a round metal plate, likely the base of a Chinese wedding tray, that Sofiya found in the waters between Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. Etched with the characters for “double happiness,” it once symbolised union and joy. Separated from its original purpose, the plate has become part of the ocean’s endless tide, much like people and objects in our lives that drift apart.The ocean, like life, takes and delivers — sometimes carrying away those who bring us joy, sometimes washing ashore what no longer serves us. Yet, what is lost does not disappear; it lingers, just as marine pollution does, reshaping the world in unintended ways. ‘Wherever You Sail, I Wish You A Double Happiness’ is a quiet reflection on impermanence, loss, and the unpredictable journey of both human connections and the things we leave behind.
60 x 40 cm This piece features a round metal plate, likely the base of a Chinese wedding tray, that Sofiya found in the waters between Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. Etched with the characters for “double happiness,” it once symbolised union and joy. Separated from its original purpose, the plate has become part of the ocean’s endless tide, much like people and objects in our lives that drift apart.The ocean, like life, takes and delivers — sometimes carrying away those who bring us joy, sometimes washing ashore what no longer serves us. Yet, what is lost does not disappear; it lingers, just as marine pollution does, reshaping the world in unintended ways. ‘Wherever You Sail, I Wish You A Double Happiness’ is a quiet reflection on impermanence, loss, and the unpredictable journey of both human connections and the things we leave behind.
To see more artworks or contact the artist, visit their links below
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse