“I Can Be Funny, Sensual, Ugly, Beautiful—Whatever I Want.”
Maya Golyshkina, the Moscow-born creative making waves in London, turns the everyday into irreverent art.
Sitting inside Café Cecilia, Maya Golyshkina is brimming with charm. Tucked away near the canal in London’s Hackney, the restaurant—owned by Max Rocha—is a hub for creatives looking to brainstorm over sage and anchovy fritti. Golyshkina, one of the most riveting young artists making inroads into the world of fashion, fits right in.
“Growing up in Moscow was... let’s just say, an experience,” Golyshkina starts, swirling her drink. “It’s a huge city, but it felt small for someone like me. The expectations, the judgment, the constant pressure to be a certain way—especially as a woman—it’s exhausting.” Golyshkina didn’t just grow up in Moscow; she rebelled against it. “Even as a kid, I hated rules. Everyone’s staring at you, telling you to fit in, and I was like, ‘Nah, I’m good.’ I started making art in my room, just to escape. I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t even have space—I shared a room with my sister! But that’s where it all began.”When the Russo-Ukrainian conflict escalated in 2022, Golyshkina knew she had to leave Russia. “A friend of mine, [London-based casting director] Madeleine Østlie, saved me,” she says. “She helped me with the visa, which was crazy expensive, and just said, ‘You need to get out.’ So I came to London.” Relocating to a new city changed everything: “Here, I’m finally meeting people who get it. Collaborations, exhibitions—it’s a whole new world. Back in Moscow, I felt like I was screaming into a void. Here, people actually listen.”
Clad in a hot-pink Juicy Couture tracksuit paired with a Nφdress T-shirt featuring a mid-moan anime character doing, presumably, something unholy, Kolyshkina wears her peculiar sense of humor proudly. If there’s one thing Golyshkina is known for, it’s her twisted sense of humor—she’s the kind of person who works the whole room. “My artist statement? ‘The best way to get rid of pain is to laugh at it.’ That pretty much sums me up,” she says, grinning. Her work—playful, satirical, and deeply personal—reflects this ethos. “I love making fun of the idea that you need a fancy studio and tons of money to be an artist. People are like, ‘Wait, you made this in your living room?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, isn’t it obvious?’”Golyshkina’s art is, quite literally, herself. “My body is my canvas,” she says. “I can be funny, sensual, ugly, beautiful—whatever I want. It’s all just me.” Her work defies easy categorization—it’s absurd with raw emotion to create something both striking and deeply human. And yet, it’s impossible not to giggle. In “Walk of Shave”, she becomes part of a cardboard cutout of a giant, foam-covered, hairy leg half-shaved—while she herself is also covered in foam. In “Grab Me,” she transforms into a life-sized toy inside a cardboard claw machine, nestled among stuffed animals. Another piece, “The Pasta”, features her wrapped in spaghetti-like felt strips on an oversized rendition of a plate of spaghetti and meatballs—a visual gag that requires no caption.“Good art doesn’t need a long explanation,” Golyshkina says. “People see what they want to see, and that’s the point. It’s not about me telling you what to think; it’s about you finding your own meaning.” She invites audiences to laugh, reflect, and connect in unexpected ways.
Despite her fine art roots, Golyshkina has made significant inroads into fashion. Collaborations with brands like Marc Jacobs and Camper have introduced her distinctive aesthetic to a global audience. Remarkably, her first commercial project for Marc Jacobs was shot in her room in Moscow, long before she relocated to London. Since then, she has become a fixture on the creative scene, consulting on music videos—such as Adán Jodorowsky and Mon Laferte’s “Aline”—and appearing in publications like American and , all while continuing to produce her signature work. “Fashion’s great because it’s fast and fun, and it lets me toe the line between creative and commercial,” she explains. “But I’m not just a fashion girl. I love the freedom galleries offer, even if they’re slower and harder to navigate.”When I ask her about the future, Golyshkina’s eyes light up. “I’m working on so many things—collaborations, new shows, maybe another calendar project. I didn’t expect to do so much this year. Three solo shows in two years? That’s wild.” But she’s not slowing down, adding, “I want to try everything. More music videos, set design, physical installations. Why not? Art should be about breaking boundaries, not building them.”As our conversation winds down, Golyshkina leans back with a smirk. “People always ask me how I’ve done so much with so little. And honestly? I think it’s because I don’t take myself too seriously. I’m just having fun, and somehow, it works.”As we share an uber-rich chocolate torte, it’s clear that Golyshkina is exactly where she’s meant to be—on her own terms. But for now, she’s craving more dessert. “Let’s grab some Guinness bread ice cream—you’ll love it,” she says. Don’t mind if I do.



