My grandfather Igor, who unfortunately I did not have a chance to see, was in Chernobyl in 1986 as an engineer and liquidator of the accident. After receiving large doses of radiation, he died of blood cancer, leaving my grandmother Mila alone in a one-room apartment quartet, which was received as a reward for my grandfather’s work. My grandmother, however, had two close friends Valya and Ira, who worked together with Mila and Igor in the same RosAtom Ministry and who also connected their fate to tragedy. In Chernobyl, Valya worked for three months as a secretary, Ira went with her husband only for a few weeks. All three women in the result received the status of "Chernobyl Widows", irreparable health consequences, painful memories.
The accident at the Chernobyl NPP is a disease that has poisoned entire generations. The people who lived through all this horror, who took part in the liquidation, who saw everything in real life, have been forgotten and abandoned like blunders in history. All experienced memories have been incorporated into their way of life, into their typical one-room apartments. This work explores the intersection of present and past, the indistinguishable consequences of the catastrophe and the permanence of the place.
The installation is an image of a typical Khrushchev apartment in which Ira, Mila and Valya still live. Each heroine has her own room, which represents her perceptions of the past and today.
My grandfather Igor, who unfortunately I did not have a chance to see, was in Chernobyl in 1986 as an engineer and liquidator of the accident. After receiving large doses of radiation, he died of blood cancer, leaving my grandmother Mila alone in a one-room apartment quartet, which was received as a reward for my grandfather’s work. My grandmother, however, had two close friends Valya and Ira, who worked together with Mila and Igor in the same RosAtom Ministry and who also connected their fate to tragedy. In Chernobyl, Valya worked for three months as a secretary, Ira went with her husband only for a few weeks. All three women in the result received the status of "Chernobyl Widows", irreparable health consequences, painful memories.
The accident at the Chernobyl NPP is a disease that has poisoned entire generations. The people who lived through all this horror, who took part in the liquidation, who saw everything in real life, have been forgotten and abandoned like blunders in history. All experienced memories have been incorporated into their way of life, into their typical one-room apartments. This work explores the intersection of present and past, the indistinguishable consequences of the catastrophe and the permanence of the place.
The installation is an image of a typical Khrushchev apartment in which Ira, Mila and Valya still live. Each heroine has her own room, which represents her perceptions of the past and today.
Turn that clock off already,
it’s disturbing my sleep’
drypoint on canvas
2022-present
"...we faced with a real pile of lies"
drypoint on canvas
2020
After 34 years of Chernobyl accidents when I asked my grandmother whether she remembers what was shown on TV during the Chernobyl accident, she replied:
- Oh, I don't remember. Most likely "Swan Lake". What else could they show? All my life, especially during grief, they showed "Swan Lake".
TRANSFORMATION
for H&M fashion project
(collaboration with Anna Cheremushkina)
tracing paper and pastel
2019
The film TRANSFORMATION was created for H&M, dedicated to finding new methods for processing mass-market clothes. Through the transformation of the body into sculpture, the desire to transform a functional fashion into a work of art is reflected. Each frame is complemented by hand-made sketches and color effects.
Flic-Flac
Final Major Project on Foundation course
drypoint (plastic and oil)
2017
My starting point was the word «juxtaposition". Researching this phenomenon, I was able to find it in the Circus College. I found this discrepancy between the environment and people who spend most of their lives there; the contrast between the young actors, which go forward, become stronger and more beautiful and the place that remained to exist in the Soviet time. Enraptured with graceful movements, I decided to create a film with elements of classical animation. Creak of equipment and metal structures, frames with collapsed seats for spectators will create contrast with beauty of movements and constantly changing colours. It will remind of the past and create an atmosphere of neglect.
Don't Be Afraid!
for CHILDLINE
paper and oil
2019
Calling a number and revealing an unfamiliar person is a hard decision for a child and this video is about not being afraid of it. The foundation of the image of the character was inspired by my 14-year sister. She has a happy childhood, but I know that at this moment there are children who are experiencing difficulties and troubles. I would like children watching my short video to know that they always have someone to ask for help. Each frame is hand-painted with pastel and oil paint to convey the sincere, emotional context that I really care about.