Daria Startseva

I am a contemporary artist living and working in Zurich. My practice moves between figurative reduction and poetic abstraction. I focus on fleeting moments and atmospheric depth, on resonance and the subtle space between thought and sensation.

Originally trained in graphic design and illustration, I studied at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and spent over a decade working as an art director and designer across publishing, advertising and digital media. The years in visual design sharpened my sensitivity to rhythm, balance and color. In painting, this precision softens, allowing it to breathe, while intuition guides the composition.

Painting is at the core of my practice. While I occasionally explore other media, my work remains rooted in color, composition and rhythm. It carries a calm clarity, a quiet strength grounded in depth and resonance.

What interests me most is emotion over narrative. The trace of gesture, the subtle conversation between forms, the honesty of imperfection. The marks remain visible, carrying the energy of their making and the presence of the human hand. The work remains open, grounded and alive.

My work explores presence, the quiet moment in which light, color and gesture begin to breathe. I am...

• 1999 - 2005 University of Applied Arts. Vienna, Austria. Grafik Design (Mag. art.)
• 2003 Aalto University of Arts, Design and Architecture. Helsinki, Finnland (Erasmus Semester)

2026
• Paris, France - "Art World Fair Paris", November 6th - 8th, Paris Expo
• Kortrijk, Belgium - "Common Ground", January 29th - March 15th, Larry Gallery

2025
• Zurich, Switzerland - „Affordable ART Market“ Group Exhibition, October 19th
• Madrid, Spain - „Vibration“ Group Exhibition, June 16th - July 15th, Monat Gallery
• Lucerne, Switzerland - „ArtdeSuisse" Group Exhibition, May 29th - June 1st, Kornschuette

2024
• Rome, Italy - "Rome International Art Fair", December 6th - 12th, Medina Art Gallery
• Zug, Switzerland, Group exhibition, November 1st - 30th, Thomson Gallery, digitally
• Paris, France - "Art Expo Paris", October 16th - 20th, Gallery Agnes Nord, digitally
• Zurich, Switzerland - "Swiss Art Week", October 10th - 19th, Gallery Calabro, digitally