Leah Sanata

Leah Sanata | Passion | 2024

Your artistic journey began with pencil sketches and has evolved to include watercolour, oil paints, and acrylics. What prompted this transition, and how has it influenced your work?

My transition from pencil sketches to watercolour, oil, and acrylic was a result of my desire to express the complex nature of human emotions. The pencil was my tool for learning line and form, but watercolour revealed a world of transparency and uncertainty, where water dictates its rules. With oil, I am able to create a sculptural volume by casting light and shadow with careful attention to detail through its texture and drying time. Acrylic is a material that gives freedom—its speed and brightness are perfect for conveying the essence of modern life. Each technique is a new language, expanding the palette of my utterances, whether it be meditative tenderness or explosive colour energy.

You mention that women can be both muses and creators in their own right. How do you convey this idea through your art, and how do you ensure that your work inspires women to embrace their creativity?

According to critics and art historians, male artists have become the norm in the art world, while women are perceived as an exception or anomaly. Through my art, I consciously highlight the dual power women possess—we are not just muses but also creators, innovators, and storytellers. The energy of self-expression and empowerment is embodied in every piece I create. I make it a point to show women in positions of strength, emotion, and transformation, because I want every woman who experiences my work to see a reflection of her own potential. Women can create wonderful things. We just need to trust in our voice and vision and take that first bold step. My journey and work aim to remind us that creativity is something we can explore without permission. It is already within us, waiting to be released.

Leah Sanata | Early Morning | 2024

In your statement, you mention integrating your knowledge of mathematics and psychology into your art. Can you elaborate on how these fields influence the way you approach painting?

The balance of light and shadow, curves and lines, tones and half-tones is a mathematics-driven aspect of painting for me as an artist. To me, each brushstroke is a manifestation of an inner rhythm, with proportions and symmetry creating harmony, even when they emerge intuitively. Light and space on my canvases are not just visual effects, but a reflection of geometric laws I unconsciously turn to in search of balance. A deeper meaning lies behind this precision. Art is a way to express emotion. Through colour, form, and composition, I express what words cannot: happiness, tenderness, care, or inspiration. This allows the viewer to experience their own emotions while also seeing and feeling the meaning embedded in the canvas, creating an invisible connection with the artist.

How does living in the United Arab Emirates influence your artistic practice, especially considering the cultural and environmental contrasts with your Siberian roots?

Living in the United Arab Emirates has not only been a change of geography, but also a profound personal and creative experience for me. Although I was born in Siberia, I’ve always believed that boundaries only exist in our own minds. My openness to everything new and lack of limits have made it easy for me to adapt to the local culture and lifestyle. Of course, the contrast between the harsh, tranquil Siberia and the vibrant, dynamic Emirates is significant. The contrast provides me with inspiration, including the colours of the East, traditions, architecture, and desert light and shadow. I am discovering ways to view the world differently, to observe subtle details that may have gone unnoticed before. The UAE has helped me express myself in new ways, and the cultural differences have not become a barrier, but rather a source of growth. Each new day presents a chance to broaden my horizons, and this is where I find my freedom.

Leah Sanata | Contemplation | 2024

Your work has been exhibited internationally in places such as Italy, the UAE, and Russia. What do you hope to convey to diverse audiences through your paintings?

International exhibitions are not just about displaying artworks; for me, an artist, they represent a space where boundaries—geographical, cultural, and mental—are eliminated. Their aim is to demonstrate that art is not a matter of nationality; it is a universal language that expresses emotions and ideas. I participate in these exhibitions to convey a simple truth—art is free from prejudice, boundaries, and labels. It reflects the inner freedom of a person, their ability to choose who they want to be, what they feel, and how they live. We are the creators of our own destinies, and painting is my way of reminding everyone who looks at the canvas of this truth.

As a mother of five, how do you balance your artistic career with your family life, and how does this role impact your creative process?

I learn to see the world in a new way through my children, who are like five universes. At first, they were like spring streams that brought colour to life; then, they turned into summer storms that shattered old patterns. As they grow up, I see them as autumn winds that carry seeds for new worlds. Motherhood is not a sacrifice for me—it’s a synergy. Although I could sleep more or travel more often for exhibitions, the sound of our home, where we discuss philosophy, quantum physics, and street art over dinner, cannot be matched. We are creating one painting, a canvas that stretches across a lifetime. Their bold strokes are beyond my imagination, and I teach them to see what’s not always evident. We are creating not only art, but a living heritage in which love is not just a plot, but the art of being together, and this exchange is the secret to my creativity. When gallery owners ask how I manage, I simply respond with a smile. The answer lies in the laughter of my daughter woven into the texture of the canvas, in my sons who carry my works to exhibitions, just as I once carried them, sleeping, to their cribs, and in the fact that even at night the studio is never empty—we often gather there to drink tea and debate the philosophy of life and classic art. Art is created not because of chaos, but because of it, just as a grapevine produces its best grapes when it grows between stones.

Leah Sanata | Softness | 2023

What is the significance of roses in your artwork, and how do they relate to the themes of femininity and strength that you often explore?

Visualise 40 roses that don’t require water—they require a conversation. These are not flowers; they are forty stories of femininity that defy clichés. Vintage, as if torn from the past, yet breathing the present. The purity of white hides experience. Red is the colour of passion and pain, both shouting and whispering. This isn’t a painting; it’s a diary drawn with a brush. Each rose is a paradox. While its petals follow the golden ratio, its soul is a rebel. Do you see softness? Take a closer look: there’s strength beneath the surface. The energy of self-expression and empowerment is embodied in every piece I create.