Don’t stay still. Move. Change.  
A-Z Duo (Anna Minakova and Zakhar Borisenko, Epic Jewellery brand owners) is creating precious objects which combine contemporary art and engineering. Push the secret button – and night fly opens the wings, ready to fly away following the mystery of the night. Crack humble pebble-stone and find shining diamonds, wait for the wind to blow and titanium turbine will start its infinite movement symbolizing vitality and energy. 

Stay still. Admire the movement. 
A-Z Duo Art Statement

From the very beginning to the very end. From A to Z.
We search for beauty in the ordinary and the extraordinary. In gears and exotic flowers, in architectural plans and incredible buildings of the future, in the world around us and in ourselves. We invite other artists and, of course, the viewer to co-create with us. Our works provide the ultimate immersive experience.

A stands for Anna Minakova, Z for Zakhar Borisenko. The union of two artists was founded in 2013. From the very beginning, the main creative principle is cooperation and collaboration, and the mediums can be anything from paper to gold and diamonds. Anna is often responsible for concepts, visual solutions. Zakhar contributes with a lot of engineering, technical solutions, knowledge of different crafts.

In the modern world, art is often contrasted with crafts. Exalting the former and belittling the merits of the latter. We strive to show with our works that a decorative object created by hand craftsmanship can carry complex philosophical meanings. From external elegance to deep inner content. From A to Z.

A-Z. The Artistic Duo

A stands for Anna Minakova, Z for Zakhar Borisenko. The union of two artists was founded in 2013. From the very beginning, the main creative principle is cooperation and collaboration, and the mediums can be anything from paper to gold and diamonds. Anna is often responsible for concepts, visual solutions. Zakhar contributes with a lot of engineering, technical solutions, knowledge of different crafts.

From the beginning, another important principle of the work - inviting other artists to collaborate or referring to other artists and their works. A-Z duo has worked in different years with Protey Temen, Irina Petrakova, Jean-Christophe Couét, Varya Alay, and Ilya Fedotov-Fedorov.

Titanium and precious metals and gemstones became one of the main mediums of the duo, and therefore the launching of Epic Contemporary Art Jewellery, creating jewellery according to the principles of art, is logical in this story. Zakhar became the founder of Epic, and Anna became a partner and creative director. Epic Contemporary Art Jewellery is a continuation of the tradition of jewellery by artists, begun by Dali, Calder, Picasso and other greats.

A-Z's work has been exhibited in a number of museums, galleries and art fairs. Among these are the Shchusev Museum of Architecture in Moscow, Art Fragment Gallery in New York, Contemporary Art Week in Hong Kong.

Anna is also an art theorist: together with the contemporary artist Alexander Shchurerenkov, they created Kommersant Art, a supplement to Russia's main business newspaper, and published it as editors-in-chief.

Zakhar's contribution to the development of contemporary art is also the fact that he co-founded Shishaki Art Fest, an international contemporary art festival in the village in Ukraine. The principle of the fest is to invite famous artists from different countries and place their works next to emerging local Ukrainian talents.

ANNA MINAKOVA

Anna was born in 1984 in Moscow. Since her childhood she lived in a creative atmosphere. Her great-uncle was a violinist, his wife was a saxophonist, and her great-grandmother was a ballerina. Though Anna's parents chose non-creative professional fields - her father is a famous doctor and her mother is a linguist - there were always many actors, directors and musicians among their friends. Familiar musicians arranged impromptu concerts at the home of Anna's parents, and when she was very young she went behind the scenes of the Bolshoi Theater and the Moscow Art Theater. As a teenager, Anna wanted to become an actress, but a famous actor, a family friend dissuaded her, saying that it is worth more useful than acting education. So Anna graduated from the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University and the Gemological Institute of America. But at the same time she tried her hand at modeling, acted in movies, took part as a performer in the performances of famous artists, wrote and developed visual design of books, many experiments with ceramics.

It has always been obvious to Anna that the art world is badly lacking two things. First is funding. And the leading role is played not by the state but by private and corporate patrons. Anna's ancestor was a famous patron of the arts who founded two theaters in Moscow, where Chaliapin performed and where Stravinsky's star lit up. For Anna, it was obvious that stimulating support for the arts could stimulate public attention to the figures of patrons of the arts, and widespread coverage of the importance of their role. To realize this goal, as an ideologist, she created the Kommersant Initiative, a one-time award that recognizes contributions to the arts. She also invented an award for this prize - a sculpture in the form of a folded origami-like crane. The second important thing that artists often lack is community, unification. Anna has always strived as an artist to become part of the whole, to create a creative union. So in 2013, A-Z Artistic Duo was created.

ZAKHAR BOROSENKO

Zakhar was born in Moscow in 1981. Until adulthood, he did not think that he would associate himself with the arts. With a professional background in international economics and finance, Zakhar managed to become the youngest top manager at a major insurance company, the financial director of a railroad freight company, and later founded his own insurance brokerage company, which now employs over 600 people.

Borisenko went on to teach an eMBA at MSU. That's when a twist in his life became famous. Zakhar argued with his students, whether in the early 2010's in the Russian reality of the artist to become financially successful. Most were convinced that no. In other countries, artists like Koons can be, but in Russia it is impossible. Zakhar made a bet with them on a case of cognac.  In two years, the former students brought him the box he had won. Borisenko founded Epic Contemporary Art Jewelry and became a member of the A-Z Artistic Duo. In addition, Zakhar became involved in exhibitions and art festivals in Ukraine and Russia.