Natalia Shapkina

Natalia Shapkina is an independent curator, educator, art manager, and art mediator. Born on the Russian side of Sapmi, Natalia moved from Russia to Germany in response to political repressions against the anti-war artistic community. She believes art and culture can challenge social segregation by arranging platforms where people from different backgrounds can meet and share their thoughts, experiences, resources, and human support. Natalia’s latest project is the collaborative festival Interpreting the History of Pollution: Art Prospect & Trash-5 (co-curator, Kyrgyzstan, 2023). In 2016, Natalia co-founded and co-curated Zero+ (Saint-Petersburg, Russia) – an organization working with art and culture mediation in partnership with child psychologists and psychoanalysts of Green Island. Natalia holds a dual MA degree in art criticism and curatorial studies from Bard College, NY.