Daria was born in rural Russia on an early spring day of 1987. She took her first painting lesson at the age of 4 – today she still remembers the smell of oil paint in that studio 34 years ago. After the fall of the iron curtain Daria´s parents who at that time had been working in the field of international relations moved to Austria. She was raised bilingually, later trilingually and studied European Studies and International Relations at Kings College London as well as at Webster University USA.
Art remained her biggest passion all those years: During her time at Humboldt University Berlin she attended several art classes as a guest student. With just 27 years she almost lost her life in a heavy accident and has been dedicating her life to painting and writing ever since.
Daria Wagner is divorced and lives in Mödling with her two daughters. Over the past years Daria´s work has been featured in several solo-exhibitions in Vienna and Lower Austria. Due to her own experience she has committed 2025 to raising her voice against the devastating patriarchal structure of the judicial system, as well as to generating awareness for the wide prevailence of gender-based violence, child abuse and proceedings in family as well as criminal court that are still designed to protect perpetrators, not victims. The artistic path is her personal way of bringing about real change in thinking, speaking and doing.
For her, art is a key to the subconscious. Abstractionism is Daria´s way of bringing light into the depths of thoughts, emotions, socio-political views and life experiences. It further is a means of delving into the big questions of human existence such as the meaning of life.
Art has to strike all senses, which is why she paints not merely with brushes but with her bare hands, sticks, branches, leaves, stones and household items. She frequently weaves elements from nature such as dried flowers and bark into her paintings. Wagner loves the idea of layering and structure – for artist it mirrors our subconscious as well as makes her art more vivid and alive.
The joy of life, regardless of all challenges a human being confronted with within a lifetime, is central in Wagner´s art. It is reflected in the use of bold, contrasting but overall harmonious colours and shades. She lives her passion for creative expression by using various media such as spraypaint, acrylic ink, charcoal, chalk, soft pastels and gold leaf.
„Art is more than just a pretty face.“
„Art is a statement: political, social, emotional.“
Dualität
La femme, 2024
Zuversicht, 2025
Slightly Different, 2025
Memories, 2025
Hin zum Licht
Heilung
Mut / Mohnblumen, 2023
