Statement

As an artist, I am mainly engaged in the text- and textile-based practices, but also work with photography, video and installation. My focus lies in the exploration of language (its formal and communicative properties) and landscape as a space of meaning (trans)formation.

Before Russia launched a full-scale war against my home country Ukraine, I used to work a lot with the natural landscapes around my Kharkiv city where I was born and lived my entire life. Since 24.02.2022 I’ve lost access to them, not just physically, but also meaningfully. After I evacuated to Austria, I began to view landscapes from the perspective of loss and homesickness. I have developed the concept of "ghostly landscapes" or "landscape memories," which I work with using various media and approaches. On the other hand, I got particularly interested in the topics of “poisoned/polluted language” and “poisoned/polluted landscape”: how language changes due to war conflicts and other catastrophes both in the aspect of form (how words are written and spoken) and content (meanings); how wars, natural and man-made disasters, and the overconsumption of resources affect landscapes not only physically, but also in terms of meanings and connotations.

Another important focus of my work is my own experiences of war and refuge.
Mostly I am concentrated on their emotional side: anger, despair, frustration, anxiety, guilt, etc. I experiment with the textual forms which help me process and express those emotions – prayers, curses, chantings, statements – and with writing as a physical, bodily practice.