In 2022 my family moved to Cyprus. When we moved, we took away something dear to our hearts, and yet we left a lot behind: our home, the opportunity to see our family and friends, our favorite places and some memories. I perceive this experience as an irreplaceable personal loss, which I cannot "grieve" openly due to ethical norms, because my loss is ephemeral - I am not a refugee or a forced migrant and my emigration is a conscious decision of my family.
This kind of loss is defined by Professor Kenneth Doka as " disempowered grief," that is, "grief experienced when the loss cannot be openly expressed, publicly mourned, or accepted by society."
Using dried plants as an allegory of connection to the past, I am gradually working my way step by step through the stages of grieving and accepting my loss.
In "Recollection" all plants are collected in Russia. It is an improvised collection of my memories. Thus, the work consists of 40 herbariums hung on the wall. Some herbariums are missing, as evidenced by the empty tacks and the lighter tone of the paint - as if for a long time there was something there, but now it is no longer there.
RE-SOURCE exhibition by Artnow agency in Limassol, Cyprus / 2023
