On August 6 at 17:00, an exhibition of works by artist Anastasia Dyudyaeva will open in Helsinki

Anastasia Dyudyaeva is a Russian monumental artist, educator, and stage designer. She is currently imprisoned in Russia and has been recognized as a political prisoner.

Anastasia graduated in fine arts and traditional culture in Saint Petersburg. Over the years, she has attended professional development courses and participated in numerous creative workshops. She has co-authored several educational programs and has received multiple awards for her teaching and artistic work.

Anastasia took her first steps in art through the technique of batik — painting on fabric — which requires focus, precision, and a refined artistic vision. She taught wood painting at an orphanage, worked in a tin miniature workshop, taught sculpture and drawing classes, and led a private art studio as well as a youth interior design program.

In 2024, Anastasia was sentenced by a Russian court to three and a half years in a penal colony, while her husband, Alexander Dotsenko, received a three-year sentence. Both were placed on Russia’s list of “terrorists and extremists” for an anti-war action in support of Ukraine: they had left a postcard with poems about Stepan Bandera (a 20th-century Ukrainian political figure) in the window of a grocery store in Saint Petersburg.

Since 2025, Anastasia has been held in a penal settlement in Segezha, Republic of Karelia.

Despite everything, Anastasia continues to draw while in prison. She is learning Finnish and working on illustrations inspired by the Kalevala, the national epic of Finland, which has moved her deeply for many years. She says she could dedicate her whole life to the Finnish theme — landscapes, culture, and the respectful, calm worldview she sees in Finnish life.

Her drawings reflect the light of water, the silence of the forest, and the strength of a person who has remained true to themselves.

Throughout the exhibition, the Initiative FoReDi ry association will collect letters for Anastasia. You are invited to write your impressions of the exhibition or words of support in any language and place your card in a special mailbox. All letters will be sent to Anastasia in prison in Russia.

The exhibition will run until August 28 at the cultural center Maunula-talo, address: Metsäpurontie 4, Helsinki.

This exhibition is an act of solidarity and support for Anastasia in her struggle for peace.