About the Artist

Hi, I’m Anastasia Tarkhanova, also known as Anastatica.

I’m a multidisciplinary artist based in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

I’ve been creating for as long as I can remember. As a child, I was obsessed with coloring books and stickers. I was also shy and introverted, and communicating with the world didn’t always come naturally to me. So I spent a lot of time on my own – drawing, coloring, and covering my bunk bed with stickers and my little creations. My bedroom became my own world, filled with imagination and color.

As I got older, I attended the V. A. Serov Children’s Art School No. 1 in Moscow, where I spent three years learning the fundamentals of form, color, composition, and anatomy. After high school, I studied graphic design at the British Higher School of Art and Design for two years before relocating to Canada.

In Toronto, I earned my bachelor’s degree in Illustration at OCAD University and later began working as a freelance muralist, illustrator, and graphic designer. I’ve created work for clients including TD Bank, Stanley Black and Decker, Toronto Metropolitan University, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and First Capital REIT.

For a long time, I felt like I had to choose one path: graphic design, illustration, painting, or mural art. I explored all of them – and I still find myself doing a little bit of everything. Eventually, I realized that I don’t need to limit myself to a single practice. I feel most inspired when I can experiment, take on new challenges, and layer different disciplines together, just as I layer color, texture, and materials in my paintings.

Today, my art practice focuses on vivid paintings of wild animals. After moving from Canada to Mexico in 2024, I fell in love with the incredible flora and fauna surrounding me. That connection inspired me to experiment with combining acrylic and spray paint, using fallen leaves to create organic textures and silhouettes within my work.

“Wild Spirits” is the body of work I feel most connected to – and the one that feels most like me. The process is a big part of that connection. On daily walks with my dog, I collect fallen leaves that catch my attention. I study their shapes and textures, then bring them into the studio and use them as natural stencils in my paintings.

This process leaves room for curiosity, experimentation, and the unexpected. I rarely know exactly where a painting will take me – and that’s what I love most about it. I hope my work brings some of that same sense of wonder into your space: a reminder to stay curious, notice the wild beauty around you and make room for a little more color.