Anna Antonova | Figurative painter

Anna Antonova is a figurative painter based between Moscow, Barcelona, and Paris. She holds an MA in Anthropology from University College London and a BA in Sociology from Lomonosov Moscow State University. In 2023, she studied at the Barcelona Academy of Art to refine her technical approach. Working primarily with oils and watercolors, Anna's creative process is grounded in observation and anthropological research. She translates personal and found photographs into compositions that capture relationships between people and their surroundings. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition (London, 2024), in the exhibition Tales of Xenophobia. Les Autres... (Paris, 2024) and Works on Paper 7 at Blue Shop Galleries (London, 2025). Anna approaches painting as both a process and a form of inquiry. Using personal and found photographs that resonate with her own memories, she works intuitively yet methodically, treating painting as a mode of anthropological research. Her practice unfolds in stages, beginning with memory-driven images developed through digital and physical collage, before evolving into oil or watercolor works. Through this process, she explores subtle differences between people and places, allowing colour, light, and emotional atmosphere to emerge organically.