Irina Korina was born in Moscow in 1977. She graduated from the Russian University of Theatre Arts (stage design department), the Institute of Contemporary Art (contemporary art department), and the Soros Centers for Contemporary Art (2000). She studied at the Valand Academy of Fine Arts in Gothenburg, Sweden; and at the Kunstakademie in Vienna, Austria. Her works are being regularly exhibited since 2000. She is one of the three Russian participants of the 57th Venice Biennale's main project.
She is usually being called the master of a total installation, but this phrase does not reflect the whole breadth of impressions that the viewer gets when interacting with her works. Magic images from Russian fairy tales are mixed with the reality of the post-Soviet city where intrusive advertising coexists with architectural monuments doomed to demolition. At the same time, Korina is a true realist: there is nothing in her works that could not be found on the street, the source of her inspirations is reality.
