Polina Kanis was born in 1985 in Leningrad. She graduated from the Gertsen Pedagogical University and The Rodchenko Art School. In 2010 she entered the long list of Kandinsky award within the "Young artist" nomination. In 2011 and in 2015, she was nominated for the state award "Innovation". Kanis's solo exhibitions were featured within the framework of Manifesta 10, Saint Petersburg, 2014, on the island of New Holland, Saint-Petersburg, 2013, and in Mystetskyi arsenal, Kiev, 2012. Kanis's works can be found in the following collections: the State Center of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Stella Art foundation, Moscow, Museum of modern art, Warsaw, The Art Vectors Investment Partnership Foundation, Vienna, the Foundation of Vladimir Smirnov and Konstantin Sorokin, Moscow, Foundation Videoinsight, Bologna. Polina was nominated for the "Innovation" award in 2015, for the film "Pool".