photo Margarita Mikheeva
Palina Adriana, the art of giving form to the invisible
Having lived in Moscow, London, Paris, New York, and Zurich, the artist discusses his deep connection to Florence and his work as a painter
What makes Florence impossible to leave?
There is something almost mystical about Florence. I often feel that the city never gives you what you think you want – it gives you what you need. Before moving here, I lived in Moscow, London, Paris, New York and Zurich. Each city shaped me in different ways, but Florence became the place where I felt most able to grow into myself. It has a rare balance between intimacy and grandeur. It is small enough to feel human and alive, yet rich enough to contain entire worlds within it. In a world increasingly driven by speed, Florence reminds us that depth requires presence.
Where does a new piece begin?
Usually with something I don’t fully understand yet - a feeling, a question or an experience that refuses to leave me. My work is very intentional, but painting is also a form of investigation. Many of my paintings exist between figuration and abstraction, clarity and ambiguity, exploring experiences we feel with great certainty but cannot easily articulate.
Which themes return most often in your work?
Emotional complexity, self-awareness and the invisible forces that shape our inner lives. I want to create a space where recognition becomes possible. What interests me is what becomes visible when we stop looking away and allow life to be as contradictory and layered as it really is.
Tell us about Eros and Ashes at Spazio Sassetti with Yulia Bas.
Eros and Ashes explored what remains when the structures we once relied on no longer hold. At its core, it was a reflection on transformation after loss, and the journey from uncertainty toward a new sense of wholeness. Themes that will be present in my next appearance in Florence as part of a collective exhibition with Aria Art Gallery.
