DESTINY GAME: Daria Pugachova Brings Intimate Performance to The Dome at Notsuoh

On Sunday afternoon, Ukrainian artist Daria Pugachova invited Houstonians into a quiet, otherworldly space to experience DESTINY GAME—a one-on-one performance that marked her final Houston presentation during her U.S. tour with CEC ArtsLink. Each participant entered the performance alone and encountered Pugachova face-to-face for a personal, improvised divination session.

The performance was rooted in chance, intimacy, and connection. Dressed in a layered, eclectic costume made entirely from clothing gathered during her visit to Houston, Pugachova sat surrounded by small objects—each one chosen or gifted to her by people she met along the way. Her divination system, developed specifically for this piece, used a found deck of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader playing cards. Through poetic interpretation and symbolic storytelling, she read each participant’s "fortune," weaving together personal resonance, humor, vulnerability, and a sense of shared presence.

Many of the objects she used were family heirlooms, tokens of memory and meaning lent to her by Houston locals. Her work gently asked the community to contribute—to trust her with their histories, however small—and in doing so, she created a performance that was grounded in Houston’s textures, voices, and energy.

Inside the dome, the atmosphere amplified the performance's intimacy. The curved walls, soft lighting, and enclosed architecture created the sensation of stepping into a crystal ball—timeless, suspended, and quietly surreal. Each session took place in near silence, save for the artist’s voice and subtle sounds woven into the experience. Those who participated described the encounters as surprising, comforting, and deeply personal.

Pugachova’s practice often seeks to collapse the boundary between artist and audience, inviting participation that’s thoughtful without being theatrical. She’s known for works that unfold in public spaces or with public involvement—activating fountains, city streets, and political spaces with performances that are both poetic and socially grounded. In Houston, she brought that same ethos to more intimate encounters, centering individual stories and gestures of care.

DESTINY GAME was a beautiful conclusion to her time in Houston and a powerful start to a new series of curated performances inside the dome.

Special thanks to Dean Liscum for his thoughtful writing on the performance and to Kylie Sivley for beautifully documenting the event.