EVERYTHING IS CLEAR — EVERYTHING IS WRONG, 2023
Pencil on paper, 42 × 59,4 cm
The basis of the two drawings is the phrase in Russian "Everything is not so clear". Russian propaganda uses it when the government enacts vile policies. The most blatant example is Russian invasion to Ukraine. Yes, BUT everything is not so clear: NATO provoked us to do it, defending the Russian people in Donbas was vital, if we had not attacked, Ukraine would have attacked us first.
The text is written on two different images of the sky. In the first drawing, a bird flies, whilst in the second, an Iranian Shahed drone, commonly used by the Russian military for attacks in Ukraine.
Clouds obscure parts of the sentance "Everything is not so clear". So the viewer can read in the first image, "Everything is clear", following the second drawing with, "Everything is wrong".
IN SEARCH OF LOST SECURITY, 2022
6 aluminium plates, 170x100, UV print
I was developing the installation In Search of Lost Security in March 2022. I described the news of two media in Russia and Germany — Channel One Russia and Tageschau.
The focus of the work was six days from 15.02. to 20.02.2022, before the recognition of the independence of the republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, when it became clear that Russia would launch an invasion of Ukraine.
Those days included Scholz’s first meeting with Putin, the 58th Munich Security Conference, the announcement of dates for the invasion of Ukraine by U.S. intelligence, and Russia’s fabricated pretext for the invasion and the proposal to recognize the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics. The main topic of those days was security.
These texts are printed on six aluminium plates on both sides — on one side a fragment from Channel One News, on the other from Tagesschau. The plates are suspended one by one, with the viewer sandwiched between the texts. Its movement drives the plates. The heavy plates are suspended from the ceiling on thin metal bands, which creates a sense of instability in the entire installation.
ARGUMENTS, 2021
3 sculptures, each 60, 50, 65 cm, glass
In Russia, police batons are used to suppress protests. The long-handled baton is called the Argument 1, the short-handled Argument 2, and the one with a retractable handle Argument 3.
There are three sculptures - batons made of glass. The argument is a term referring to communication — a conversation or discussion. The name of the baton suggests that physical force is an argument for the people who use it. The glass must be used to deprive the baton of its gravity and make it fragile.
The glass sculptures should refer to the fragile and unstable relationships between the people and the state, reflected in the language and its use to establish powers and conduct the population.
SYNONYMS, 2020
40 plates, 35 x 50 cm each, lenticular printing
Synonyms is a kind of visual poem containing 40 pairs of words – euphemisms and its direct meaning –,made in the technique of lenticular printing. Two words are printed on top of each other on a special surface. Depending on the angle of the viewer, one or the other word is seen. Pairs of words are taken from the media space.
Originally meant to be inoffensive and polite, euphemism has become an instrument of commercial, political, and postmodern doublespeak. The danger of doublespeak is that it obfuscates the real meaning. The unstable quality of prints signifies the ambiguity of language.
With kind support of the Freundeskreis der HFBK e.V.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
40 plates, 35 x 50 cm each, lenticular printing
Synonyms is a kind of visual poem containing 40 pairs of words – euphemisms and its direct meaning –,made in the technique of lenticular printing. Two words are printed on top of each other on a special surface. Depending on the angle of the viewer, one or the other word is seen. Pairs of words are taken from the media space.
Originally meant to be inoffensive and polite, euphemism has become an instrument of commercial, political, and postmodern doublespeak. The danger of doublespeak is that it obfuscates the real meaning. The unstable quality of prints signifies the ambiguity of language.
With kind support of the Freundeskreis der HFBK e.V.
BUNKERSTADT, 2022
40x60, steel plate, 6 photos 10x15, digital print
The threat of nuclear war is now greater than ever; that is why I was interested in shelters in Hamburg in case it happens. It turned out that it is the city with the most significant number of bunkers in Europe. There were about 1,200 of them built, and about half are still standing. Most of them were made in the early 1940s. In 1943, Hamburg was heavily bombed. According to various estimates, 40 to 50 thousand people were killed, and most of the city was destroyed.
During the Cold War, in the 1960s, Germany began building underground bunkers to be used in case of nuclear war. The first such bunker is near Berliner Tor station, a 5-minute walk from my house. Most retired bunkers can no longer be used for their intended purpose. Some have been demolished, and some have been rebuilt and are being used as apartments. Others are warehouses, music bases, restaurants, hotels, clubs, or garages. The most famous bunker in the city, on Feldstrasse, was erected by concentration camp prisoners. Now a colossal garden is being made on its roof.
On the bunkers appeared imprints of time made by man or nature. I wanted to capture the moment of these changes in the photographs. The photos were mounted on a steel plate, exhibiting rust over time. The address where the bunker is located and its distance from my house is written under the photos.
