Galya Popova paints mainly in oils using a palette knife instead of a brush. Her work has been exhibited worldwide and she is also a book illustrator and theatrical costume designer. ‘My painting is like a shot from a movie, which has a beginning and prolongation,’ she says. ‘Memories of my childhood, everyday situations, nature, people and books inspire me… there is always a lot of space for fantasy. I do not like to give an explanation to the paintings. For me a painting is like a poem, a certain message, which one can interpret very individually.’ Born in Moscow, Popova lives and works in Bonn, Germany.