Letters For
Natasha
PVC FILM, COTTON THREADS, GLASS BEADS, DRY PLANTS, SOIL, SAND, HAIR, SEA SHELLS, TAPE, PHOTO, PAPER, PENCIL
2020 – ONGOING
“Letters for Natasha” is a series of small, letter-like objects begun in 2020. The project was originally intended for an exhibition in Simferopol, where artists reflected on political life in occupied Crimea. That exhibition never took place due to the threat of repression. Still, the experience inspired me to begin a metaphorical correspondence with an alternate version of myself: Natasha, if she had never moved to the Netherlands and had remained in Sevastopol.
I imagine two parallel universes branching from the moment I decided to leave. While both "Natashas" look the same, their mindsets have inevitably diverged. On the surface, our letters appear innocent – harmless exchanges about flowers or the weather. However, a closer look reveals the complex, fractured reality shaped by the pressure of history.
In one letter, fragments of photographs of Dutch and Crimean skies merge into clouds – a metaphor for the inevitable silence and escapism found under censorship. Another letter contains a raw, honest account of the annexation, but every single word has been cut out to secure the thoughts from prying eyes. Fragments of unrecognizable buildings blend the Crimean parliament flying a Russian flag with a barely visible Ukrainian flag in a Sevastopol apartment window.
This private correspondence confronts the personal with the political, balancing the fear of persecution against the strong desire to speak out. In this series, everyday images become coded messages of both support and resistance.