"Archives of concience"
2023
This project is very personal. This is about my relatives, acquaintances, friends, classmates, neighbors and how my relationship with them has changed. Depending on their choice. During the residency, I devoted a lot of time to gathering information and communicating with my friends and acquaintances who are currently occupied. The information I received was mainly from people who support Ukraine. The most appropriate phrase that described the real situation in that area is (literally) "Half of the people are crying, half are rejoicing." Dividing people into two opposing camps is the goal of any propaganda. And this goal was achieved. In this project, I tried to show my perception and my relationship to these two camps. Some people have become heroes for me, and others I bury in my memory and do not want to see at the moment and cannot forgive.
"Conscience falls asleep, hell awakens"
2023 (photo, video, 2 art objects) fabric, threads, acrylic, paper
The region of Ukraine where I was born and grew up is still under occupation. During this time, I received messages from my friends and acquaintances about my close relatives who began collaborating with the enemy of Ukraine, supporting the war, and spreading terrorism and destruction of the Ukrainian nation and themselves. I spent a long time verifying this information, hoping for a mistake. When the facts were confirmed, I tried to justify my relatives. Now I am overwhelmed with anger and a sense of loss for these people who have become strangers to me. I have lost them, they have died for me, and their conscience has died as well. A transparent dress with real stories, with matryoshkas and the national headdress of the Moksha people, who founded Muscovy (Russia) - this is my shame for some members of my family for their conscious choice.
I put on a transparent dress. Ashamed, I reveal the truth.
This powerful and personal artwork explores themes of identity, betrayal, and the emotional toll of war. The use of a transparent dress symbolizes the revealing of uncomfortable truths, while the incorporation of matryoshkas and the Moksha headdress represents the complex historical and cultural ties between Ukraine and Russia. The artist's struggle with shame and anger towards family members who have chosen to support the enemy is poignantly expressed through this multi-media piece. In the video, the artist demonstrates their uncertainty by swaying on a rope, showing their insecurity and lack of understanding about their future.
"Conscience falls asleep, hell awakens"