born 2001 in Aachen (Germany)
work and live in Karlsruhe (Germany)
As a person with a migration background, the question of identity has always been central to me
and at the same time complicated. For a long time, I found it difficult to clearly define my Belarusian
identity. It remained fragmented and shaped by political repression and Russification.
During the protests in Minsk, I once again experienced the massive violence and control of the
state. There was great hope for change and democratic freedom, but this moment of possible liberation
was violently ended. Today, the expression of Belarusian identity is increasingly restricted
and partly criminalized. For example, speaking Belarusian can already be considered a terrorist act.
The history of Belarus is strongly shaped by imperial and colonial power relations. Over centuries,
the Belarusian language, culture, and identity have been overlaid and suppressed by Russian
powers.
In my artistic practice, I therefore understand my work as part of a decolonial engagement with Belarusian culture.
My artistic work deals with questions of identity, political violence, and memory. Through this
engagement, returning to Belarus is no longer possible for me. For me, identity is inseparably
linked with control, violence, and prohibition, but also with homesickness and the feeling of a lost home.
Much remains visible only through memory.
Through textile and photography, I express feelings of loss, memory, and the political influence
on identity. I often begin with drawings or photographic motifs, which I then translate into textile
works. Textile is a material that carries meaning for me. Historically, embroidery and textile are
deeply rooted in Belarusian culture and can, alongside memory, also intensify the contrast to
violence.
By combining found and new textiles, a connection emerges between personal experience and
collective history. I see my personal feelings and experiences as an example within a collective
experience. In this way, an emotional level is created in which questions of identity, loss, and resistance
become visible.