Site-specific project Local Myths, 2022

In this series I consider existence problems of well-known characters of Slavic folklore displaced from their conventional habitats by the very conditions of dynamic, rational and cost-effective modern life. I raise a question of whether there is still a place for superstition, surprise and an almost childish belief in miracles in a modern urban person imagination. How strong are the archetypal images dormant in the archaic layer of the unconscious? Do they continue to influence on us, or have we completely separated from outdated ideas and are ready to create a new mythology adequate to the realities of globalization and digital economy?

The series presents four analog works corresponding to four landmarks of the Bogorodskoe district and inhabited by different types of mythological creatures associated with the topography or history of the place. Collages include photographs taken in this locations and dried plants collected there.

Every work has three layers corresponding to different time periods and existence conditions of the presented place. Fictional mythological characters symbolize the time of Alymovo village, where Bogorodskoye is located nowadays. Old Soviet newspapers, that I used as the background of the works, reflect the Soviet period. And my photos used in created collages and plants collected at the locations depict current time. Thus, I made a kind of portrait of the district locations, based on its history.

MEETING PLACE

17.06.2022 — 24.07.2022

Curators: Kate Finkelstein, Darya Yaromenok

Bogorodskoe Gallery, Moscow