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A Tree, a Work of Art, a Future: When Art Enters into Dialogue with the Earth
LIVING ARTS

A TREE,
A WORK OF ART,
A FUTURE

When Art Enters into Dialogue with the Earth

At Paris's Area Gallery, artists and the Cœur Vert Foundation come together to explore art, ecology and humanity's enduring relationship with the living world.


THE OPEN SOUL
OF COLOUR AND SPIRIT

with Ekaterina Cherkasova

“An intimate conversation with
artist Ekaterina Cherkasova exploring colour,
femininity, spirituality, fashion,
and emotional expression.”



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THE OPEN SOUL
OF COLOUR AND SPIRIT with Ekaterina Cherkasova

Spending time once again with Ekaterina Cherkasova was a true privilege, a continuation of an artistic connection that began during a previous fashionshoot, but one that deepened in a more intimate and sensitive light.

I was warmly welcomed into her studio in Paris, a space that feels quietly spiritual, as though it gently extends her inner world. From every angle, her paintings surround you, vivid, symbolic, and emotionally expressive, like fragments of a dream held in colour and light. The atmosphere feels calm and immersive, where creativity and emotion flow naturally through every detail.

First and foremost, she is an artist. Originally from the former USSR and later drawn to Paris in search of full artistic expression, Ekaterina has created a world that is entirely her own, where art and fashion merge into a single language of feeling. Through her work and her label Minerva Paris, she transforms imagination into wearable emotion, blending surrealism, spirituality, and femininity with a delicate but powerful emotional depth.

What remains most striking is not only the richness of her visual universe, but the quiet generosity with which she inhabits it. She embodies a gentle, authentic kindness, deeply sincere and unforced. Her presence carries a calm openness that immediately puts you at ease, making every exchange feel natural and real.

Sharing lunch in her studio felt intimate and unhurried, as if time softened around us. Surrounded by her magical, almost otherworldly paintings, the experience became more than a conversation, it became a shared moment of trust, beauty, and quiet connection.

In her universe, colour is not only seen but felt, and creativity is not performed but lived.

— SUNA MOYA

STUDIO

THE OPEN SOUL
OF COLOUR AND SPIRIT

“An intimate conversation with artist Ekaterina Cherkasova exploring colour, femininity, spirituality, fashion, and emotional expression.”




EKATERINA CHERKASOVA

Contemporary Artist

minervadecoration
minervadecoration

QCEG: How do you define art in your own words?

Ekaterina: For me, art is a language — an emotional one. It is never just about creating an image, but about expressing what words cannot say. My work comes from inner feelings and reflections on life. It is a way to share something deeply personal and universal at the same time.

At its core, art is freedom — the freedom to express, to feel, and to be.

QCEG: Looking back at your exhibitions, is there a moment or experience that stayed with you in a meaningful way?

Ekaterina: Yes, one exhibition remains very close to me. It was a full retrospective of my work, showing my journey from the beginning to more recent pieces. Seeing everything together revealed my evolution — becoming more open, confident, and free in my expression. What stayed with me most was the audience’s response. People did not just see the works — they felt them, speaking about energy, transformation, and vulnerability.

That connection means everything to me.

QCEG: One of your works, Renaissance, feels especially personal. Could you share the story behind it?

Ekaterina: Renaissance is deeply personal to me. It was created during a time of inner searching — questioning identity, direction, and purpose. I began with a photographic performance, using my body and instinctive movements on canvas, which later evolved into the final painting.

For me, it became a quiet symbol of rebirth and reconnection with myself. What touched me most was when a collector said the work felt like “his own renaissance” and chose to place it in his workspace as a daily reminder of renewal.

That connection is one of the greatest rewards an artist can receive.

QCEG: Your work often features women. What do they represent in your artistic universe?

Ekaterina: Women are at the heart of my visual language. To me, they represent life, continuity, balance, and inner strength. Femininity is not only about beauty — it is energy, resilience, and emotional power.

In my paintings, women are quiet warriors. They protect, nurture, fight negativity, and hold families together while staying deeply connected to their sensitivity.

That feminine presence is essential in my work because it symbolizes strength, protection, and the force of life itself.

QCEG: Color plays a strong role in your work. How do you approach it?

Ekaterina: Color is very instinctive for me. It is emotional and often reflects my inner state.

Even when I use darker tones, I always bring light into the composition because I believe there is always hope. For me, color is also energy and movement.

Recently, I have been exploring black-and-white compositions with subtle touches of gold or red, creating a more introspective yet still expressive mood.

QCEG: How would you describe your approach to fashion?

Ekaterina: First of all, I am a painter. Fashion came later, naturally, without formal study. It started when I began painting on leather and using it as a canvas for graphic expression.

I fell in love with the material and created my first fashion-art project: around thirty hand-painted leather jackets shown alongside my paintings. From there, I began drawing on dresses. My mother, who knows how to sew, brought one of my sketches to life. I painted it and named it “Rondelle,” a personal reference to what she used to call me as a child.

It became something deeply symbolic between us. When that dress was presented, people asked where it was from. I said I had made it myself — and that moment changed everything.

I realised I could create for others.

QCEG: You also work with accessories. How did that begin?

Ekaterina: About four years ago, I began creating accessories, especially bags, in close collaboration with a craftswoman who helps bring them to life. I like the dialogue between opposites. One side is expressive and painterly, the other is grounded in function and leather. I’m drawn to that tension between art and utility.

Even in accessories, I stay inside my artistic world. Everything returns to painting. When I started, I was searching for real uniqueness — not as a claim,x, but as something visible and tangible.

For me, it is about identity, saying who I am, without fitting into a box. That is why I create. Even when silhouettes feel familiar, each piece changes through color, leather, or painted detail.

The form may repeat, but the soul never does. Like people, every piece is unique.

QCEG: What message do you want to share through your work?

Ekaterina: The message is simple, but essential: listen to your inner voice.

Do not create or live according to the expectations of others.

Ask yourself what you truly want, and follow that path with honesty and freedom.

That is where real creation begins.

QCEG: What is your ultimate dream?

Ekaterina: My dream is to create my own atelier and gallery space in Europe — a place where painting, fashion, and creation can exist together without separation. I have never believed that art should be divided into categories. For me, everything belongs to the same creative breath.

You should not have to choose between being an artist or a designer — you are simply someone who creates.

That is my freedom.

SPACES ENVISIONED BY QCEG

- The Open Soul & Colour of Ekaterina Cherkasovo
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