Kseniya Khamiankova

Kseniya Khamiankova (theatrical_hunt) is a visual artist and scenographer based in Vilnius, Lithuania. Working at the intersection of scenography, fine art photography, and spatial installation, she explores the transformation of theatrical language — blocking, masks, and costume — beyond the boundaries of the traditional stage.

The core of Kseniya’s practice is the investigation of liminal states and the anxiety that arises from the destabilization of mundane spaces. In her work, she juxtaposes a stylized, puppet-like aesthetic (masks, exaggerated figures, deliberate gestures) with explicitly realistic, often domestic or abandoned textured interiors. This aesthetic collision strips the image of its documentary nature, creating autonomous visual worlds that immerse the viewer in a state of psychological tension and leave ample room for interpretation.

From 2024 to 2026, the definitive expression of this methodology was her large-scale project at the Vilnius Academy of Arts (VDA), titled “Nerimastingos interpretacijos už teatro scenos ribų” (“Unsettling interpretations beyond the theatre stage”), inspired by Franz Kafka’s novella The Metamorphosis. The photo project — comprising a series of 30 conceptual photographs, video, a spatial installation of suspended canvases at the VDA library, and an artist book — received high acclaim from the professional community, with reviews available.