Belgrade, Serbia

Anastasia Kraynyuk is an artist, 3D animator, and illustrator based in Belgrade, Serbia whose work combines elements of the uncanny, the humorous, and an ominous sense of foreboding, all while using a personal and deeply symbolic visual language. Originally trained as an architect, Kraynyuk’s work takes a geometric approach to spaces and objects, while human figures are often obfuscated, rendered as silhouettes or behind masks. The influence of David Lynch is evident in animations like the experimental short “Lady Road”, with its throbbing sound design, red-walled rooms, and two-lane highways. The artwork for this volume again recalls Lynch, not only with his signature black and white tiled floors, but also in the quaint suburban scene invaded by elements of the surreal; alien growths, flowers with eyes, and a pair of pink cartoon arms reaching down from the heavens. These strange visitors seemingly mean no harm, as the artist has rendered them with whimsy and tenderness.