Notes

Installation «Notes» was presented as part of the solo exhibition «Through the Eyes of the Past.»Exhibition Dates:
TsGK: May 12 — June 8, 2026

— Series of paintings (canvas, acrylic) — 8 pieces
— Objects brought from the Komi-Permyak district
— Soviet handmade curtains made from paper clips and postcards
— Printed photographs taken by the author during a trip
— Historical photographs
— Notes from a sketchbook and a work journal
— Sketches made from plaster, fabric, and thread
— Painting substrate simulating a studio wall.

The installation «Notes» is part of the project «Behind the Eyes of the Past», which was presented as a solo exhibition at the City Culture Center in Perm in Spring 2026.This exhibition project explores the ways a local ethnic group exists amid modern cultural blending. It raises the question for me: how to conceptualize the notion of «ethnos» when boundaries are blurring and constant movement is the norm?The foundation of my practice is a constructivist approach that allows me to work with culture while avoiding hierarchies. The project uses the Komi-Permian ethnic group as its material. This is a personal choice—I belong to this people through my lineage, having discovered these roots only in adulthood.

The title refers to the unique grammar of the Komi-Permyak language, which has two past tenses. One of them is used when a person speaks about events they were not a witness to. This grammatical «gap for truth» becomes the conceptual framework for the entire exhibition.

«Notes» is my visual diary, presented as an installation featuring photographs, sketches, small paintings, and materials gathered while working on the exhibition. Some of the materials I collected during my travels formed the basis of my paintings—some of those I am still contemplating. I display them in the process of creation to offer the viewer a glimpse into my thought process. The imagery is not yet complete, and the meanings have not yet solidified into a final form.

Many people experience what can be described as sensory overload. As the world grows more complex, we encounter this feeling more frequently.During a research trip, I gathered a large number of impressions that I am still striving to process and articulate. This state of inexpressibility resulting from the diversity and sheer volume of experiences is also an inherent aspect of interpreting any cultural forms in the contemporary world.

The installation «Notes» is part of the project «Past Eyes», which was presented as a solo exhibition at the Center for Urban Culture, Perm, Spring 2026.