Roots
Statement
This body of work comprises my childhood memories, adult reflections, and gratitude for what I am now. This is my inspection of existing and missing family bonds – those roots and branches that were severed due to major political shifts in my birth country. I was born in Kazakhstan, a place where my grandparents were forcefully displaced from Russia. In the totalitarian USSR, it was a typical method of controlling the population. This project is my reflection on my ancestors who I’ve never met and my family that I did happen to know. I am attempting to comprehend what my bigger family was or could have been. My assumption is that some memories we have are not about real events that happened. These are our fantasies about what we want to have happened. My creative process includes collecting and assembling mixed media objects and pieces into collages. I paint, draw, glue, and put different parts together. This symbolic activity means introspection, investigation, and recognition of my own feelings and sufferings from lacking family connections. Through collages with real family photos, narrative paintings, and natural object installations I’m reviving the missing roots and attaching those branches and sprouts that have been cut off due to historic events. I’m an immigrant, and I often think of my children who are raised far from their grandparents and relatives. I grew up without fully knowing my roots, and it happened, my children would face a similar challenge – preserving family bonds, researching and remembering traditions that are part of their DNA. I titled my show ‘Roots’ because I dedicate my work to my family members, close and distant, alive and perished. Many humans on Earth will relate to this theme. Significant shifts in our society are being caused right now by Russia’s attack on Ukraine. A new massive wave of refugees made me think about how many families would get lost in this turmoil. “To forget one’s ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root,” a Chinese proverb says. I’m mourning what has been lost from my family history book and grateful for what I do possess and will pass on to my children.
