DARIA TESTO (formally: Daria Testoedova) (CURATOR/ STORYTELLER/ARTIST/ACTOR)

EDUCATION

• Erasmus University Rotterdam(2019-2022) International Bachelor of Arts and Culture

• Minor in Religion in a Changing World at Leiden University

• Minor in Dutch Art History at Maastricht University

• Icelandic University of Arts (2022-2024) Master in Curatorial Practice

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Social Media Manager for Björg Thorhallsdóttir (Jan 2024-May 2023)

• Curator/Marketing Manager at Ars Pro Dono (Internship) (Feb 2021 - Jun 2021)

• Secretary at ACE International Faculty Association (Sep 2019- Sep 2020)

• Curatorial Internship at Nordic House (Iceland) (Feb 2023-March 2023)

• Archive Internship at NYLO (Feb 2023- Mar 2023)

• Curator for the Snæfellsjökull fyrir forseti/ Presidential campaign and activist movement for the Rights of Nature in Iceland (Jan 2024- present)

• Teacher (Skáldskapur frásögn og reynsla/ Fiction narrative and experience)

  for Iceland University of Arts (Aug 2024- Dec 2024)

• Project Manager at Sequences Art Festival 2025 (Jan 2025-present)

• Co-founder and curator of EARTHLINGS ART GUILD, a research art community combining science, arts and Indigenous Knowledge (Jan 2025-present).

CURATED PROJECTS

• East Art Wind Blog—Online collection of Buryat-Mongolian Artists. This project was made to promote local artists and art. However, during recent times, it became an online portfolio-based platform for the fleeing Buryat community. / Online (@eastartwind)

• Dive Festival in Rotterdam 2021/ Netherlands

• “Infra-Glow” 2023/ Reykjaness Museum, Iceland

• “Since the First Encounter” 2023/ Old Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway

• “Unearthed” 2023 /Nordic House, Reykjavik, Iceland

• “Að Jökla — to become with glacier” 2024/ Mengi, Reykjavik, Iceland

• “Kindred” 2024 / Ellidaarstod, Reykjavik, Iceland

• “Motion to Change Colour Names To Reflect Planetary Boundary Tipping Points” 2025 / Slökkvistöðin, Reykjavik, Iceland

• “OTHER-GROUNDS FILM FESTIVAL” 2025/ Nordic House, Reykjavik, Iceland

RESIDENCY/ RESEARCH TRIPS

• Funded Caspian Artist Residence (Art and Science) Research Residency with the collective Earthlings at AMA in Kazakhstan// August 2025, Kazakhstan

GUEST PARTICIPATION

• Invited lecturer on the role of female artists in the history of art of Buryad-Mongolia for the “Whisper" Lecture // National Library of Buryatia in Ulan-Ude, 2020

• Invited lecturer on the topic of East Asian Role in the development of European Art History (Netherlands Case) for the DIVE Festival 2022/ Rotterdam, Netherlands

• Speaker at the panel: Ritual-making at the Confluence of European Body Waters // Venice, Italy (September, 2024)

• Speaker at the panel: Rituals with multispieces for the Multispecies communication conference// Amsterdam, Netherlands (October, 2024)

• Lecturer at the Mapping New Environments for MA Design at Icelandic University of Arts and Eindhoven School of Design // Iceland, Netherlands (November, 2024)

• Earthlings Art Guild presentation on Soil Symbolism in Culture and Contemporary Art: examples that can benefit soil Researchers for Alberta Soil Art Science // Alberta, Canada (February, 2025)

• Speaker at the Melting Boundaries: Research and Artivism// 22 FEB, 2025 (SIM RESIDENCY, Iceland)

• Speaker at the Vetrarhátíð Winter Festival// 1 MAR, 2025 (Myvatn, Iceland)

• Speaker and Presentation of the paper with Snæfellsjökul Fyrir Forseta at the MOTH Conference 2025 at NY LAW// 12-15 MAR (New York, USA)

• Speaker at the panel Art and Democracy at the Nordic House (Iceland) // Reykjavik, Iceland (March, 2025)

• Speaker at the Conference: Tales of the Nature Spirits 2025 // 31 MAY, 2025 (Akureyri, Iceland)

• Speaker at the Art and Science Weekend in Atyrau, Kazakhstan, organised by AMA foundation/ Lecture on the Eco-semitoics in art and science// 23-24 AUG, 2025

• Speaker at the conference Taboo-Transgression-Transcende in Art and Science// 10-12 September (Ljubljana, Slovenia)

• Participant at the Confluence of European Water Bodies 2025 with the Snæfellsjökul Fyrir Forseta // SEP (Netherlands)

• Moderator of the Artist-Talks at Sequences Real-Time Festival// OCT (Iceland, 2025)

ART PROJECTS

• Performance and Lecture “Stories in a Cup” with Galadriel González Romero at Future Festival (January 2025) at the City Library of Reykjavik, Iceland.

• Earthlings Art Guild exhibition “Field Notes Post-Terraformation“ at the ProEnergy Festival 2025, Astana, Kazakhstan.

PUBLICATIONS

• Glacier for President: Legal Innovation through Artistic Intervention (2025) Co-authors: Adam Switala, Dr. Angela Snæfellsjökuls Rawlings, Caitlin ffrench, Cody Alexander Skahan, Daria Testo, Galadriel González Romero, Dr. Ólafur Páll Jónsson, Randi W. Stebbins for NYU LAW MOTH FESTIVAL, March, 2025.

• On Collaboration with the More-than-Human for the 5th annual Art in Iceland magazine publication, March, 2025.