My life journey began in Siberia where I was born and spent my formative years. Since then I have lived, studied and worked in several countries including Czech Republic, Finland, United Arab Emirates and the United States.
In my multifaceted intimate art compositions, I investigate the challenges inherent in immigration such as transnational identity and belonging, feeling of loss and displacement, and nostalgia.
I utilize ubiquitous and overlooked objects in my artworks. I find discarded leather to be an extremely rewarding element because of its sensory qualities and ability to trigger emotions. Recycled leather acts as a metaphor for a personal repository of complex memories traceable through patina, authentic smell/scents collected over time, scratches, patterns, stains etc.
My layering technique is used to distort and fragment the artwork with the aim of inviting the audience to visually perceive the weight and complexity of immigrant issues and reflect on their own experiences. The process of layering is guided by intuition and the rhythmic, repetitive and meditative act of hammering, which possesses symbolic qualities associated with taking back control of life. The intensive manual labor, including the use of a hammer, is my way of reflecting and challenging roles that historically have been assigned to men.
Beneath the façade of the artwork, a visual archive of the original self exists. An extension of myself and my personal experience culminating in hidden scripts written under the dense intertwined layers of leather which are only visible through deconstruction of the work.
