Introducing Anastasia Pilepchuk, the Russian-born, Berlin-based mask designer exploring what it means to see the world through the mask you wear. As we grow, our personality shifts, our perception changes, and the person we present ourselves as is constantly being moulded to reflect our current state. Masks become a physical manifestation of the subject and its surroundings.
Sometimes we wear a cover, hiding our true self. We face the world through a false persona. This duality serves as a form of protection because we are not ready to unveil what lies behind the mask. Either way, a mask is how we might claim agency despite society’s failings and match our environment, whether it is a truthful or false representation. The work of Anastasia reflects on this and more, so we sat down with her to get to know her better.
What album or song do you currently have on repeat?
Boards of Canada just released a new album after thirteen years of silence, so this is what I am listening to right now. But honestly, nothing truly stays on repeat for me.
On a day when you are not working, what do you enjoy doing?
My biggest pleasure is being in nature. I also enjoy going to galleries or spending time with friends. Sometimes I just lie on the sofa and watch the clouds dancing outside my window.
Take me through your process. How do you start creating? How do you prepare for your next piece?
It is always different. The last piece started as an idea that appeared first, then I chose the materials, and my hands simply followed, creating curls and flowing forms on the prepared surface.
Do you do anything to get in the zone?
I just need to begin and spend some uninterrupted time with the process. After a while, everything starts flowing naturally.
Is there any one specific mask you have created that holds more significance than others?
I would not say so. Each piece feels like part of the same evolving organism.
Your masks and pieces are each so unique and take on different motifs. Do you envision a character or a dialogue behind each one?
Even though they are different, they are also deeply connected. The recurring motifs in my work are repetition, flow and intricate detail. I am fascinated by the complexity of life and its manifestations, by the way energy moves through forms, bodies, nature and time. Through my work, I try to invite the viewer to pause, observe closely and enter a more attentive state of perception.
I know you have previously said that Frida Kahlo is someone who inspires you. Is there a certain piece of hers that you keep going back to?
I spoke about Frida Kahlo many years ago, and I still see her as one of the greatest women in the history of art. Powerful, brilliant, talented and unbroken. She remains deeply inspiring, but today my inspiration comes from many other places as well.
“Through my work, I try to invite the viewer to pause, observe closely and enter a more attentive state of perception.”
You grew up in Russia and later moved to Berlin, both of which have heavily influenced your work. Is there anywhere else you have travelled to that also inspires you?
Russia, especially the places where I was born and raised, shaped my love for nature and formed part of my perception of the world. Berlin helped me understand myself more clearly and grow into the artist I am today. One place that deeply affected me was Iceland. I had the strange feeling that I had lived there in another life. Everything felt familiar, yet completely shocking and unreal at the same time. It felt as though the landscape itself was created through the same principles I use in my work. Part of my heart also belongs to Milos in Greece, and to the Bavarian Alps and northern Italy, with their crystal-blue mountain lakes.
Having worked with so many materials, what others would you like to create with that you haven’t already?
I want to work more with fire. As a teenager, I trained in jewellery making, casting metal and soldering. I also experimented with glassblowing. Both feel very close to me, and I would love to return to them at some point.
You find inspiration in many things, from nature to technology to humanity, but is there anything that remains a consistent anchor to your imagination?
I am deeply mesmerised by manifestations of life itself. The way the world moves, the way the earth breathes, the way wind spirals through space. I love observing these moments of clarity and heightened perception, and this is what I try to transmit through my work.
Has there been a time when you have felt a creative block? How did you get yourself out of it?
Yes, and it lasted quite a long time. It is slowly dissolving now. I cannot say there was one specific thing that helped, because I tried many different things. I think sometimes you simply have to continue living until something opens again.
Do you miss being a DJ and being so involved in the musical world, or do you feel it had its time in your life?
I will always love music deeply; it is part of who I am. But I rarely miss my musical past. It was exciting, chaotic and intense. I met so many people and it felt like living ten lives at once. But ultimately, it became too energy-consuming for me. Now I play music occasionally, only when I genuinely feel the desire.
Do you have any other creative outlets in your life or anything you do to break away from work and indulge in some self-care?
I love creative cooking. Food is amazing.
Are there any fashion designers you would like to collaborate with and see your masks walking down the runway, or artists you would like to see wearing your art on stage?
I would absolutely love to collaborate with Maison Margiela, Alexander McQueen or Comme des Garçons.
