Anna Perach grew up in the warmth of carpet. 

She was born in Ukraine in 1985, just a few years before the Soviet Union collapsed and citizens had to wait in long lines for food and basic necessities. When she was 7, Perach’s family moved to Israel. In stark contradiction to their new desert environment, Perach’s family lined the floors and walls of their home with rugs, just as they did in the Soviet Union for both warmth and decoration. 

As an artist fascinated by femininity and the domestic, Perach uses the tufting technique to create wearble carpet-like sculptures that can be activated for performances, like elaborate headpieces and fullbody carpet suits. Perach’s prefered medium of tufting dissects how artistic practices associated with so-called “women’s work” are typically perceived. 

“Craft was always considered second to high art,” Perach said. “And then women were always considered, historically, to be second best to men.”

Perach researches myths and folk tales to create her own story based on a female character. She pulls from her work as a counselor and art therapist to expand on the emotions of her characters. She finds that the social pressures and physical violence that women experience in real life often mirror mythological narratives. In a male-centric world that rewards stoic rationality, Perach’s work embraces emotion and empathy.  

For her 2025 solo exhibition in the U.K., Perach created two identical, life-sized tufted sculptures inspired by the character of Olimpia in E.T.A Hoffman’s “The Sandman.” One sculpture is hollow and worn by a performer, the other is automated.

Perach lives and works in London. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in 2008 and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2020.