Anastasia Samoylova, an artist who works in photography and painting, is presenting her rarely shown "Breakfasts With" series at Casa Tua Aspen this summer. The series, begun in 2015 after she received her green card, combines breakfast food with photo books by notable creatives, creating still-life "conversations" that serve as daily creative prompts. The exhibition follows her dual show with Walker Evans at the Met, which showcased two differing visions of Florida. In an interview, Samoylova discusses how the series developed from a meditative morning ritual into a practice that helped her ground herself after leaving a tenured teaching position, and how intuitive pairings—like a cut mango with Barbara Kasten's work—emerged from spontaneity rather than conceptual planning.
The series matters because it reveals the intimate, ritualistic process behind Samoylova's broader artistic practice, which includes acclaimed projects like "FloodZone" and "Floridas." By blending personal homage with daily discipline, Samoylova demonstrates how artists can transform anxiety into creative focus, using the visual languages of admired predecessors to develop their own voice. The exhibition also highlights the growing trend of artists showing work in unconventional, lifestyle-oriented venues like Casa Tua, expanding the boundaries of where and how art is experienced.