Born in a family of artists and educated in Moscow Polygraphic Institute, Varvara Shavrova lived and worked in Moscow, London, Beijing and Dublin where she is currently based. Shavrova is currently studying at Goldsmiths College MFA post-graduate course.
Shavrova’s projects include over 20 solo exhibitions and curatorial projects in London, Dublin, Los Angeles, Berlin, Frankfurt, Moscow, St. Petersburgh, Shanghai and Beijing. Shavrova received a number of awards, including Fellowship from Ballinglen Arts Foundation in Ireland, British Council Visual Artist’s Award, Dublin City Council Visual Arts Award and Culture Ireland Awards for individual artists.
Shavrova’s solo projects include ‘The Opera’, a multi-media six screen projected installation commissioned by Espacio Cultural El Tanque, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, in 2011. ‘The Opera’ explores complexities of life and work of traditional Peking opera actors and gender fluidity associated with this art form, juxtaposed with harsh reality of living in modern day China.
Shavrova’s multi-media project ‘Borders’ was exhibited as part of Galway International Arts Festival 2015, and includes paintings and video works based on her exploration of the theme of borders and territories between Russia and China.
Shavrova curated a number of international visual arts projects, including ‘Through the Lens: new media art from Ireland’, at Beijing Art Museum of Imperial City (2008) and ‘Map Games: Dynamics of Change’, international art and architecture project curated in collaboration with Feng Boyi and studio OffiCina and exhibited at Today Art Museum in Beijing, touring to Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery in UK and to CAOS Centre for Contemporary Arts in Terni, Italy (2008-2009). In 2015 Shavrova curated exhibition of the selected objects from the archive of the former President of Ireland Mary Robinson.
Shavrova is represented by Patrick Heide Contemporary Art and she is currently studying for her MFA degree in Fine Art at the Goldsmiths College, University of London.
