Elena Ishkova  - was born in 1977 in Krasnodar. Today, Elena lives in Vladivostok, Far East of Russia. Elena is an artist and an English translator, Member of Creative Union of Artists of Russia, «Ethnographic Art» department.

She studied Zhostovo painting at master classes with the Honored Artist of Russia, Zhostovo painter, Larisa Goncharova. Currently, Elena is engaged in painting on wood. Most part of Elena Ishkova's creative work is occupied by ethnographic painting of nesting doll, paintings on canvas depicting indigenous peoples of the East of Russia.

Elena grew up in the Far North of Russia, where she got acquainted with aboriginal culture. The artist synthesizes ethnographic images of indigenous peoples of the Far East and North-East of Russia with the traditional form of Russian nesting dolls. Painting of each matryoshka is preceded by ethnographic research work, costume study, and communication with indigenous peoples' associations in the region. The exhibition presents matryoshka dolls and portraits of both aborigines of the Russian Far East – Udege and Nanai, and residents of the Northeast - Evens, Chukchi, Eskimos and Koryaks.