In Hangzhou: Elisabeth Anisimow's creative adventure

My name is Elizabeth Nishimo. I'm currently 17 years old. I am a visual performance artist. Currently in Hangzhou, I'm studying traditional Chinese painting at China Academy of Arts. This is my classroom. This is my desk. Even though it's like a learning environment, it still feels very comfortable. I study gongbi, which is a careful, realist technique in Chinese painting. Gongbi, or meticulous painting, has been specifically favored for its realist technique and bold coloring. Currently, what I have been working on in China for the past few months is a project where I take traditional Russian folktales and cultural things and traditional Chinese, showing how both of our cultures are very similar. And even back then, people were still tied together. This is the costume of the white swan. This costume is based off traditional Russian costume in around the 15th, 16th century. And this is the white snake costume. It's based off the traditional wear in the Song Dynasty period. But this is, of course, based on the idea of a folktale, like a fantasy. I live in Hangzhou and the West Lake, and it all kind of influenced me, especially since the white snake happened on West Lake. She was a snake at first, and then she transformed into a woman. And also, it's very similar to our white swan. The same thing with our Russian fairy tale was she was a swan before, then she turned into a woman. They both have very complicated journeys. The final result of the project will be a collaboration between Alex Sotov and Katya Popova. It was a wonderful collaboration to show both Russian and Chinese cultures being in China. It's been a productive and creative year in Hangzhou. Looking forward to seeing our photos and costumes featured in Moscow Exhibition this year. Wishing you all a fantastic 2025.