Writing

Journal

Notes on art, light, and the things that move us

Pink Desert Mirage by Ksenia Andrienko, a pink and ochre desert landscape with horses, hanging above a sofa

Featured Essay

Art Fairs and Festivals in Dubai and the GCC: The 2026–2027 Season

A working calendar of the region's art fairs, festivals and biennials for 2026 and 2027 — with confirmed dates marked as confirmed, and everything still unannounced honestly labelled as such, because most published lists this year are wrong.

July 10, 2026Read essay →

The Best Art Galleries in Dubai: An Artist's Guide for 2026

Where to actually see art in Dubai, district by district — the warehouse galleries of Al Quoz, the blue-chip spaces in DIFC, and the free museums people miss. Written by a painter who visits these rooms as a working artist, not a tourist.

Soft Power by Ksenia Andrienko, a pastel abstract figure in acrylic, hanging above a sofa in a living room

June 26, 2026

To Frame or Not to Frame: How I Decide

Some paintings need a frame. Some are ruined by one. After framing my own work for years and watching collectors get it right and wrong, here is the way I actually make the decision — and the frames I recommend when the answer is yes.

Solar Silence — acrylic on canvas, 90×60 cm by Ksenia Andrienko

June 19, 2026

Acrylic vs Oil Paint: What I Actually Choose, and Why

Not a chemistry lesson. A working painter's honest comparison of oil and acrylic — how they behave, what each one can do that the other cannot, which is better for collectors in a hot climate, and why I use both.

Dubai Landscape triptych by Ksenia Andrienko in acrylic and gold leaf on canvas

June 12, 2026

Inside the Studio: How I Build a Mixed-Media Painting

A mixed-media painting is not one painting, it is five or six that happen in the same place. Here is the full process from primed canvas to final glaze — the materials I use, the order I work in, and the stage where every painting looks like a mistake.

Love. Peace. Freedom. — acrylic on canvas, 50×70 cm by Ksenia Andrienko

June 5, 2026

How to Frame and Protect an Oil Painting in Dubai's Climate

Heat, humidity, salt air and aggressive air conditioning are hard on paintings. After several years of painting and selling work in the UAE, here is what actually protects a canvas here — and the well-meant advice that makes things worse.

May 29, 2026

Russian Artists in Dubai: Notes from the Inside

Dubai has quietly become one of the largest gatherings of Russian-speaking artists outside Russia. I am one of them. Here is what that community actually looks like from the inside, and what a classical Russian training does to your painting.

Golden Muse by Ksenia Andrienko, a figure in a striped dress on a gold ground, hanging in a classical hallway

May 22, 2026

How to Commission an Oil Painting in Dubai: What Actually Happens

A commissioned painting is not a transaction, it is a collaboration. Here is exactly how a commission works in my Dubai studio — the conversation, the sketches, the timeline, the cost, and the questions collectors always ask.

May 15, 2026

Art Dubai 2026: My Day of Art, Colour and Inspiration

My first-person reflection on visiting Art Dubai 2026, a free celebration of art, culture, creativity and inspiration in Dubai.

World Painting event scene by Ksenia Andrienko at The Ritz-Carlton DIFC

May 13, 2026

World Painting: A Living Artwork of Humanity at The Ritz-Carlton DIFC

A truly inspiring atmosphere bringing together people from many different art, culture and people from around the world.