Early life and family
She was born on April 22, 1985 in Yevpatoria, in Ukraine, which was then a part of the Soviet Union. Her mother, Irina Simonova, is an artist, a theatrical designer and teacher of fine arts. Her father, Alexander Simonov, is a former military officer. Since she was a child, Kseniya painted, drew and designed with her mother.
Kseniya’s parents discouraged her from a career as an artist. Kseniya explained, “It is a constant struggle. I knew that, and was ready for it. If you chose this profession, you're struggling all your life. You do not enjoy everyday life - like comfort, and buying furniture... You're always looking for something more, and actually, I was never interested in a life of comfort and buying furniture.”
In 2007, she married Igor Paskar,a theater director and magazine editor. Their son Dmitry was born on November 27, 2007.
Education
She graduated from the Artistic School of Yevpatoria and studied in the School of Fine Arts. In 2002, Kseniya chose a psychology major and graduated in 2007 from the Tavrida National V.I. Vernadsky University with honors. Her scientific specialization was Psychophysiology – a sphere between Psychology and Anatomy. At the same time, in 2003, Kseniya entered the Ukrainian Academy of Printing and studied Graphic Design. She graduated in 2008, six months after giving birth to her son.
Sand performance
Sand performance was suggested by her husband. Initially, Simonova was unsure, but she decided to try it in the absence of other options to improve their financial situation. When tests with beach and river sands proved both unsuitable, Simonova's husband began researching better options on the internet. He sold his printing equipment to buy 3 kilograms of expensive volcanic sand.
Simonova began experimenting with the medium at night. The art form required her standing for long periods of time and also required her to retrain her vision to adapt to the unique medium.
The sand story Kseniya presented live on TV was an eight minute story of a young couple separated by the war.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kseniya_Symonova
http://simonova.tv/en/
