“Maybe we can create beautiful worlds full of abstract stuff,” Mukhachova says of her five works in the exhibit Companionship and the Cosmos at Richmond’s The Annex Gallery in the Richmond Cultural Centre Annex until Jan. 4, 2026,

The exhibit showcases works from Mukhachova and Quinton Qiu, bridging visual representations of cats and the cosmos. While Mukhachova has never met Qiu, she recognizes that their works complement each other.

Qiu’s digital paintings are from the series Wander with Taichii. The works are inspired by the artist’s walk with his cat.

The cosmos inside

We can all create our own cosmos – of hopes and fears – inside our brains, says Mukhachova. Science fiction and scientific research into the universe have inspired her.

“Scientists now have lots of questions: we don’t know exactly what is going on…with all these light particles, photons, and so on,” she says. “To try to comprehend your life in this huge, huge space – we can’t deeply understand this [space], but we have our own space inside our brains.”

Questions on the nature of the universe make her feel part of everything, but also part of nothing. She sees this internal space as a creative opportunity but has also felt “separated into two.”

“Sometimes it feels so attractive to create something where everything is possible – even strange things floating in space,” the artist adds.

The artist likes “soft,” “beautiful” and “clean” lines, but also a “messier” and “expressionist” look. Her artistic journey confirms that she doesn’t have to choose between them.

Mukhachova has experienced every artist’s fear: staring at a white canvas, unsure of how to proceed.

“At one point, I slowly came to [the conclusion] that I just need to do what I want,” she recalls.

The artist uses airbrushing with acrylics. She also enjoys oil sticks – the medium allows for the drawing of abstract lines. Of her five works on display, Mukhachova appreciates the more recent ones, representing the development of her artistic progress.

Despite usually feeling creative, Mukhachova hasn’t always considered herself an artist. Born in Belarus, her childhood was “crayons and nothing else” – allowing her to draw and create her own worlds.

“My mom inspired me a lot,” she says. “She always pushed me to overcome my fears, break some boundaries to create something new.”

After studying design at the College of Arts in Belarus and the State Academy of Arts in Minsk, she worked as a graphic designer in Moscow. Mukhachova put aside her artistic career for a while following the birth of her children.

Thoughts to paper

She credits her husband and fellow artist Daniil Alikov for encouraging her return to the artistic world. In 2020, she started by collaborating with Alikov, who has also exhibited at the Richmond Art Gallery.

“I needed to create something for myself: I was thinking for one year, drawing sketches and going inside my mind,” Mukhachova recalls. “What is inside me? What do I like? What do I want to draw?”

After much reflection, she began by making sketches on her iPad. Recently, she traced her face’s reflection on the iPad – producing a new series of small artworks. She now feels she’s found her “elements, style, vision [and] thoughts.”

“You start thinking about who you are, what is going to be next after death,” she says, referring to the existential crisis triggered by growing older. “You start to understand that art is the one thing that can hold you here in this reality – it gives you some freedom and joy to live.”

“I thought I could put all these thoughts onto a canvas,” she says. “The world is beautiful; life is beautiful – I hope [my artwork] invokes deep thoughts [and] joy.”

Mukhachova is working on a new series of shadow boxes meant to resemble supernova explosions. One is on display at Richmond Art Gallery’s and the Richmond Arts Coalition’s ArtRich 2025 exhibition until Jan. 4.

“When supernovas explode, it creates all these elements,” she points out. “It’s the end of star life, but at the same time, creating something new.”

Now in its sixth edition, the exhibition is a biennial showcase of local talent. It features drawings, paintings, sculpture, textiles, photographs and videos. Mukhachova’s shadow box is a mix of recycled and new materials.

“We are all made of star dust – everything made of stardust,” she adds. “And in our head, we create a new world made of plastics and leftovers of packaging.”

For more information, see www.richmondartgallery.org/companionship_cosmos