Natalya Kosteneva

I was exposed to art from a very early age - my mother is a practising painter and a teacher at an art school in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan. I used to hang around there a lot because there wasn’t anyone to look after me at home…I was a bit of a black sheep because exact sciences were not my forte and I was more into the history of art, fine art, etc. I am dyslexic and used to muddle up the word order and syllables in class when I was nervous. I’m also ambidexter. I wrote in workbooks with my left hand and on the class board – with my right. Everyone laughed but it felt so natural to me.

My mother worked at an art school, so I hung around there a lot and picked up bits and pieces and learnt stuff just from watching.

I did not think of linking my life with art, of becoming an artist because I trained as an actress and decided to dedicate my life to a different art form - theatre.
I went to an Arts School in Novosibirsk but I wouldn't consider it as formal training one receives as an artist. So, I'm self-taught. Real people live in trees, you know.