ABOUT ARTIST
Chance as Art
Sonia Grin explores chance as a fundamental source of power and beauty in contemporary art. By surrendering control to natural processes, she allows them to speak their own language, creating unique works of art.
Her creative foundation relies on an experimental method where chance becomes the key element. This occurs without prior planning or clear causes, generating dissonance in a world full of order and cause-and-effect connections.
Poetics of Imperfection
The author poeticizes chance, crafting a space free from excessive deliberation. The creative process turns into a semi-meditative state: disconnecting the conscious mind, heightened attention to sensations, and focus on seeing the world in details and imperfections.
Her work examines the variability of abstraction and the search for new forms, where the voice of natural structures intertwines with reflections on chaos and order. This clash of opposites produces a unique aesthetic, with each piece becoming an unrepeatable imprint of the moment.
Philosophical Foundation
Sonia Grin's practice reflects a philosophical understanding of chance as an integral part of human life. What we often see as error or glitch transforms in her works into a source of beauty and depth in perceiving the world.
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Sonia Grin is a multidisciplinary artist and designer. She is the Creative Director of grin studios and a guest lecturer at HSE University (School of Design). She lives and works in Saint Petersburg.
Born into an artistic family, Sonia charted a long path to develop her own artistic practice. She pursued artistic realization through a theoretical approach, studying composition, color theory, and typography in design. Her career spans making books, designing artistic brands, and organizing art events, during which she solved utilitarian tasks within creative fields and collaborated with artistic institutions. After achieving success in the creative industry by establishing her own design agency, she returns to her roots and creates her first series of works, Traces. This series, created in the suminigashi technique, becomes a means of emotional release for the young artist, achieved by aestheticizing intentional randomness through the materials she chose—paper, oil paints, and water.
Education
2013–2015 SPbU, Faculty of Arts, Graphic Design, Master's program. Academic supervisors and consultants: Konstantin Starcev, Vladimir Zagorov, Olga Gurina.
2009–2013 SPbU, Faculty of Arts, Graphic Design, Bachelor's program. Academic supervisors and consultants: Konstantin Starcev, Vladimir Zagorov, Olga Gurina.
Exhibitions and Fairs
2025 Kontur, graphics exhibition, Nizhny Novgorod
2025 Art Book Festival, Saint Petersburg
2024 Nikolay Evdokimov Gallery, Salon 2024/25, Saint Petersburg
2024 PAF (Port Art Fair), Saint Petersburg
Design Practice
2022–present Creative Director, grin studios
2017–2025 Collaborations with cultural institutions as creator, art director, and brand designer, responsible for creating comprehensive experiences for artists and art institutions. Including Anna Nova Gallery, Booklet magazine, Music Aeterna, and others.
2023–present Guest Lecturer, HSE (School of Design)