One to Watch<\/a><\/h3>\n\nDecember 10, 2025<\/strong>Posted by Audrey Wolfe<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
Valencia-based photographer Dasha Pears<\/a> uses whimsical scenarios and expertly arranged details to construct fantastical, surreal artwork. Dasha\u2019s photos are meticulously manicured, and though simplicity is at their core, each scene nevertheless confronts us with humorous yet mind-bending dreamscapes.<\/p>\nDasha\u2019s illusory photo art has been featured in the Saatchi Art Catalog, and she\u2019s participated in exhibitions across the globe. Discover her \u2018psychorealist\u2019 work as this month\u2019s One to Watch.<\/p>\n
Tell us about who you are and what you do. What\u2019s your background?<\/h2>\n
I have loved art ever since I can remember, which led me to seek basic training in classical fine art, drawing, and sculpture before I finished high school. In my family, art was never considered a real profession, so I got three degrees in linguistics, marketing, and PR, and put my \u201cart dreams\u201d away. They snuck back into my life when I picked up a new photography hobby, around fifteen years ago. <\/span>The new medium gave me a way to connect tangible reality with the fantasy worlds that I had been secretly cherishing in my imagination for years. I quickly realised that documenting reality was not my thing and recognised my strong lean towards staging the scenes I\u2019m photographing.<\/span><\/p>\nHow do you find or create your subject matter?<\/h2>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s a peculiar combination of the deep need to create that sometimes feels like an internal torture, an active search for ideas, and then letting go of controlling the process of how they find me. In the end, I can say that I don\u2019t deliberately create my characters and their stories; I let them rise from the space between thought and intuition. W<\/span>hen I get into a certain location, meet a certain model, or get a certain prop idea, I just know that I have to turn it into an artwork. It\u2019s like a duty, and not always a pleasant one.<\/span><\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canvas.saatchiart.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-dasha-pears-hands-props-3-300x215.jpg\")
<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nAre there particular themes or ideas you\u2019re drawn to in your work?<\/h2>\n
I\u2019m drawn to human emotions and psychological states; their nature, their appearance, and what causes them. Therefore, I inevitably weave them into my visual narratives. I am also deeply interested in philosophy and understanding the link between things in this world and their meanings. Asian philosophical traditions are among my favorites. This interest is evident in my work as well: in the application of negative space, for example.<\/span><\/p>\nHow do you balance technical aspects of the medium with emotional or narrative intent?<\/h2>\n
I see the emotional intent and the technical execution as two parts of the same process. When I shape the atmosphere or narrative, I\u2019m already thinking about color, light, composition, and texture, because they are emotional. The technical choices are not separate steps, but ways of giving the feeling a visible form.I stay close to the emotion I want to convey, but I also remain aware of how the image is built. I think I have two overarching emotions in all of my work\u2013a sense of wonder and the longing for peace\u2013that make my technical process more intuitive, in a way.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\nWhat part does post-processing play in your creative process?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
This is where the magic takes its final form. I\u2019m always working with the post-processing steps in mind, so the shooting always demands additional planning. This part is also very intimate; when I get one-on-one with the piece, no models or assistants are present, and I can truly listen to what it wants to become and let it live its own life. This part takes hours, sometimes days or weeks, and often becomes a real meditation.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canvas.saatchiart.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-dasha-pears-on-location-cosmos-oranges-4-1-300x185.jpg\")
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How do you hope viewers respond to your works? What do you want them to feel?<\/h2>\n
My works are my way to find peace in this world and transform everyday life chaos into somewhat organized beauty. Many people say that when they see my work, they feel safe and at home; it\u2019s like a breath of fresh air in the calamities of their busy daily lives. I love giving the viewers of my art this sense of comfort. <\/span>Although I induce my pieces with subtle stories and meanings, I leave them largely open to interpretation. Often, my viewers see themselves, or their alter egos, in my artworks. It\u2019s one of my biggest rewards as an artist when this happens.<\/span><\/p>\nHow do you see your work evolving in the next few years?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\nI have two big projects in mind. One of them is very ambitious and will include anywhere from forty to fifty pieces. It will explore our sense of home and belonging, and how this manifests in different minds. The project is rooted in real stories and personalities, but is as surreal as any of my previous work. <\/span>My wish is to expand into physical installations, allowing the viewer to experience the work with their whole body, not just the eyes. I also want to collaborate more with musicians, writers, and performers to build multi-sensory environments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canvas.saatchiart.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-AV-108-300x200.jpg\")
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\n\n\nIf your work had a soundtrack, what would it sound like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\nCalm, meditative, a little mysterious, with bits of nature sounds like running water or wind ruffling the trees occasionally.<\/span><\/p>\nWhat\u2019s the most memorable comment you\u2019ve received about your work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\nThis is about my piece titled \u201cDoubt<\/a><\/em>:\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>I adore this piece!\u00a0 The wonderful thing about Dasha\u2019s art is how it evokes imagination \u2014 offering an altered view, a different lens through which the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary. In this piece, the composition suggests both disappearance and liberation, revealing a fragile boundary between suffering and freedom, dissolution and rebirth. <\/span>It stands as a poetic meditation on what it means to be human, to endure, and to change. <\/span>It is a delight to own such an exquisite work of art \u2014 one that translates emotion so effortlessly, without ever saying a word.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMeet more artists like photographer Dasha Pears. Discover a new talent or hear from your favorites in our monthly One to Watch interview.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\nAbout One to Watch<\/h3>\n
Each month, we showcase an emerging artist from around the world who is already garnering attention for their work. \u201cOne To Watch\u201d presents some of the most exciting artists on Saatchi Art helping collectors to discover strong emerging talent.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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December 10, 2025<\/strong>Posted by Audrey Wolfe<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Valencia-based photographer Dasha Pears<\/a> uses whimsical scenarios and expertly arranged details to construct fantastical, surreal artwork. Dasha\u2019s photos are meticulously manicured, and though simplicity is at their core, each scene nevertheless confronts us with humorous yet mind-bending dreamscapes.<\/p>\n Dasha\u2019s illusory photo art has been featured in the Saatchi Art Catalog, and she\u2019s participated in exhibitions across the globe. Discover her \u2018psychorealist\u2019 work as this month\u2019s One to Watch.<\/p>\n I have loved art ever since I can remember, which led me to seek basic training in classical fine art, drawing, and sculpture before I finished high school. In my family, art was never considered a real profession, so I got three degrees in linguistics, marketing, and PR, and put my \u201cart dreams\u201d away. They snuck back into my life when I picked up a new photography hobby, around fifteen years ago. <\/span>The new medium gave me a way to connect tangible reality with the fantasy worlds that I had been secretly cherishing in my imagination for years. I quickly realised that documenting reality was not my thing and recognised my strong lean towards staging the scenes I\u2019m photographing.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s a peculiar combination of the deep need to create that sometimes feels like an internal torture, an active search for ideas, and then letting go of controlling the process of how they find me. In the end, I can say that I don\u2019t deliberately create my characters and their stories; I let them rise from the space between thought and intuition. W<\/span>hen I get into a certain location, meet a certain model, or get a certain prop idea, I just know that I have to turn it into an artwork. It\u2019s like a duty, and not always a pleasant one.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m drawn to human emotions and psychological states; their nature, their appearance, and what causes them. Therefore, I inevitably weave them into my visual narratives. I am also deeply interested in philosophy and understanding the link between things in this world and their meanings. Asian philosophical traditions are among my favorites. This interest is evident in my work as well: in the application of negative space, for example.<\/span><\/p>\n I see the emotional intent and the technical execution as two parts of the same process. When I shape the atmosphere or narrative, I\u2019m already thinking about color, light, composition, and texture, because they are emotional. The technical choices are not separate steps, but ways of giving the feeling a visible form.I stay close to the emotion I want to convey, but I also remain aware of how the image is built. I think I have two overarching emotions in all of my work\u2013a sense of wonder and the longing for peace\u2013that make my technical process more intuitive, in a way.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n This is where the magic takes its final form. I\u2019m always working with the post-processing steps in mind, so the shooting always demands additional planning. This part is also very intimate; when I get one-on-one with the piece, no models or assistants are present, and I can truly listen to what it wants to become and let it live its own life. This part takes hours, sometimes days or weeks, and often becomes a real meditation.<\/span><\/p>\n My works are my way to find peace in this world and transform everyday life chaos into somewhat organized beauty. Many people say that when they see my work, they feel safe and at home; it\u2019s like a breath of fresh air in the calamities of their busy daily lives. I love giving the viewers of my art this sense of comfort. <\/span>Although I induce my pieces with subtle stories and meanings, I leave them largely open to interpretation. Often, my viewers see themselves, or their alter egos, in my artworks. It\u2019s one of my biggest rewards as an artist when this happens.<\/span><\/p>\n I have two big projects in mind. One of them is very ambitious and will include anywhere from forty to fifty pieces. It will explore our sense of home and belonging, and how this manifests in different minds. The project is rooted in real stories and personalities, but is as surreal as any of my previous work. <\/span>My wish is to expand into physical installations, allowing the viewer to experience the work with their whole body, not just the eyes. I also want to collaborate more with musicians, writers, and performers to build multi-sensory environments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Calm, meditative, a little mysterious, with bits of nature sounds like running water or wind ruffling the trees occasionally.<\/span><\/p>\n This is about my piece titled \u201cDoubt<\/a><\/em>:\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>I adore this piece!\u00a0 The wonderful thing about Dasha\u2019s art is how it evokes imagination \u2014 offering an altered view, a different lens through which the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary. In this piece, the composition suggests both disappearance and liberation, revealing a fragile boundary between suffering and freedom, dissolution and rebirth. <\/span>It stands as a poetic meditation on what it means to be human, to endure, and to change. <\/span>It is a delight to own such an exquisite work of art \u2014 one that translates emotion so effortlessly, without ever saying a word.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Meet more artists like photographer Dasha Pears. Discover a new talent or hear from your favorites in our monthly One to Watch interview.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Each month, we showcase an emerging artist from around the world who is already garnering attention for their work. \u201cOne To Watch\u201d presents some of the most exciting artists on Saatchi Art helping collectors to discover strong emerging talent.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n \n <\/div>\nTell us about who you are and what you do. What\u2019s your background?<\/h2>\n
How do you find or create your subject matter?<\/h2>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\nAre there particular themes or ideas you\u2019re drawn to in your work?<\/h2>\n
How do you balance technical aspects of the medium with emotional or narrative intent?<\/h2>\n
What part does post-processing play in your creative process?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nHow do you hope viewers respond to your works? What do you want them to feel?<\/h2>\n
How do you see your work evolving in the next few years?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nIf your work had a soundtrack, what would it sound like?<\/h2>\n
What\u2019s the most memorable comment you\u2019ve received about your work?<\/h2>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\nAbout One to Watch<\/h3>\n