Hia Magazine Interview with Marina Fedorova

Marina Fedorova will participate in HIA Hub, the largest conference in the region dedicated to fashion, lifestyle, and luxury, in the Jax district of Riyadh from October 30th to November 3rd. At Hia Hub, she will showcase her remarkable exhibition COSMODREAMS, which innovatively merges traditional art with digital technology, featuring large-scale paintings, sculptures, and augmented reality environments. This immersive experience transports us into Marina Fedorova’s unique world, prompting contemplation of the intersection between contemporary art and digital technology, as the artist reflects on her past, present, and future. For her participation in HIA Hub, the COSMOFASHION concept dedicated to the fashion world was specifically designed as part of a large-scale Cosmodreams art project.

In this interview, Marina Fedorova discusses the Cosmodreams exhibition, its goals, mission, components, and her expectations for the upcoming Hia Hub event.

AA ​​— How does participating in HIA Hub align with the goals and vision of the Cosmodreams exhibition? What unique opportunities does this platform offer for showcasing your work?

MF — First and foremost, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Hia for having us this year. Moreover, I wish to express my admiration for HIA Hub, which offers a unique opportunity for all creators of the entire world to show their visions, exchange ideas, and gain new experiences.

I have always been interested in fashion throughout my artistic career. My creative journey began with reflections on women’s representation in contemporary culture and fashion and the redefining of women’s ideals. It has always captivated me to examine the way these two creative fields – fashion and art – intersect, influence, and shape cultures.

At HIA Hub, I am presenting my art project Cosmodreams with the concept “CosmoFashion” developed for this event specifically. Cosmodreams encompasses diverse clusters and themes, and fashion is one of them. It’s a space fantasy called Cosmodreams. What would Cosmodreams Fashion look like?

Cosmodreams focuses on futuristic and imaginative themes, often merging art, technology, and science fiction. This enhances the artistic palette and also reaches a wider audience. With a focus on collaboration, lifestyle innovation, fashion and immersive experiences, HIA Hub provides a platform that complements this by facilitating discussions on the symbiotic relationship between art and fashion.


AA — HIA Hub is known for bringing together influential figures in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. How do you think this environment will influence the reception of Cosmodreams, and what kind of interactions are you looking forward to?

MF — Bringing fashion, beauty, and lifestyle together with art opens up new possibilities for dialogue and creative collaboration. They are deeply tied to aesthetic expression, which resonates with the imaginative and visual nature of Cosmodreams. The presence of key figures in these industries means Cosmodreams will gain visibility among audiences who might not typically engage with art but are drawn to innovation in lifestyle, design, and fashion. They will bring their own cultural lens to the experience, pushing Cosmodreams into a more cross-disciplinary direction.

I also want to show that fashion is not just about trends or fads. It is also about art. Fashion designers often draw inspiration for their collections from the cultures of the countries they visit, folklore motifs, literary works, cities and countries, and architectural structures. Art is a powerful tool for creativity. The interactions to look forward to involve engagement with new audiences in exciting and unexpected ways.

AA —​​ Given that HIA Hub highlights the evolving fashion and beauty landscape, how does Cosmodreams intersect with these trends? Are there aspects of the exhibition that resonate with the fashion and beauty industry?
 
MF — “I believe the world will be saved by beauty,” says the protagonist of “The Idiot”, a Russian novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky. He speaks of the beauty of the soul and human deeds, of course. But for me as an artist, visual beauty is extremely important to me. As soon as I see something beautiful, I want to share it with the world through my art. The Cosmodreams project is also about beauty. Beautiful space landscapes and women who are my main character. Having graduated as a fashion designer, I have always been drawn to the world of fashion and I can’t help but draw elegant dresses. Even from my student days, I was more interested in creating a sketch or illustration than a physical dress. Paintings of different centuries can be used to study fashion. I was always fascinated by the intricacies of the lace, textiles, and jewellery that are painted.  

“CosmoFashion” blurs the lines between fashion and art. I paint dresses on canvases, make dresses from canvases and create fashion show in virtual reality.

In general, Cosmodreams resonates with the fashion and beauty industry for its creativity, futurism, technology and imaginative storytelling. Visuals and themes naturally contribute to inspiration for everything from catwalk fashion to beauty products.


AA — What aspects of Cosmodreams do you believe will stand out most to the HIA Hub audience? How do you plan to engage with attendees through your interactive and immersive components?

MF — Cosmodreams, with its interactive and immersive elements, is likely to resonate with the HIA Hub audience, known for their passion for creativity, luxury, and innovation.

The exhibition embodies a futuristic aesthetic that appeals to fashion-forward, trend-setting individuals with its vivid, cosmic landscapes, dreamlike environments, and imaginative depictions of alternate realities. It will not just be about visual appeal, but about engaging and transformative art that feels cutting-edge and transformative.
In my work, I like to combine traditional and digital approaches. Besides oil canvas and art Audiences will have a chance to watch the stories behind the paintings through augmented reality (AR), enjoy a virtual fashion show on the screen and attend a live performance.

In “CosmoFashion”, art comes to life through tools such as augmented reality or big screens, making it especially appealing to this audience. By offering a multi-sensory experience, where attendees can immerse themselves in dreamlike environments or interact with futuristic, digitally-enhanced components, Cosmodreams will stand out as more than just an exhibition—it’s an experience.


AA — HIA Hub features a diverse range of industry pioneers and experts. Are there any specific individuals or brands you’re excited to connect with during the event, and how do you hope these interactions will impact your work?

MF — Our approach at Sputnik Partners, the design house that supports the development of the Cosmodreams art project, is to pay homage to traditions and celebrate cultural diversity. Thus, some Cosmodreams paintings were printed in a limited-edition series using a unique Heliogravure technique, exemplifying the artistry of 19th-century craft. A reproduction of a painting or photograph obtained by printing from a metal plate (most often copper) made by photochemical means. This technique can accurately reproduce details of, for example, a large oil painting on smaller paper and in quantities.

One of the items we will showcase during HIA Hub is the Kokoshnik art object, combining tradition with modernity. For centuries, the kokoshnik was the headdress of Russian women. In the world of Cosmodreams, it inspires spaceships and futuristic architecture. With the use of 3D printing, it can become an object of any size, colour or material to decorate interior and outdoor spaces.

Cosmodreams project combines different art and craft media with digital art. Hopefully, this approach will draw a broad audience. It is also our hope that communication with other brands will lead to new interesting collaboration projects. We are always open to new ideas and experiments.


AA — What message or experience do you hope to convey to the attendees of HIA Hub through your participation? How do you envision Cosmodreams contributing to the broader dialogue in the fashion and art communities?

MF — With Cosmodreams’ participation in HIA Hub, I try to convey a message about the power of imagination, transformation, and the convergence of different disciplines. We aim to inspire attendees to see beyond the present, to explore futuristic possibilities where art, fashion, and technology blur. The exhibition’s cosmic landscapes, futuristic themes, and dreamlike visuals convey that the future is filled with infinite possibilities—whether in fashion, art, or lifestyle. My motto, along with COSMODREAMS, is to follow your dreams, be open to experimentation, and embrace experimentation.

ADNAN AL KATEB, Editorial Manager of Hia Magazine