Artist Statement

A sense of place and belonging is increasingly important to me, especially since my immigration from the Soviet Union. As a result, my work explores landscape and its elements through direct experience of the environment around me. I take bits and pieces of my surroundings and assemble them into imaginary environments. The work investigates the concepts of history, personal memories and everyday rituals, as well as identity and assimilation.

I am interested in the human interaction with nature evidenced by the traces of our presence left in the landscape. My work directs attention to footprints, stains, and other overlooked elements that speak of the temporal quality of the human experience. The fragmented quality of the work alludes to the constant shifts that occur in memory and history.

I have recently started to investigate the relationship between a tangible physical object and light, shadows, and projected imagery. My recent projects, both individual and collaborative, are explorations of the ambiguity and subtlety of layered imagery and shadows.

My work with Serge Marchetta stems from investigations of memory, a sense of place, and displacement. We are interested in memory of place evidenced by traces of presence in landscapes, both urban and rural. Utilizing a variety of materials and processes, we manipulate the space through use of drawing, light and shadows. In their video work, we explore subtle shifts in movement occurring in space over time. We have recently shifted towards a practice more focused on social, cultural, and historical concerns. Our line of inquiry is loosely aligned with fellow immigrant artists dealing with relationships between place, history, and identity. The recent work has shifted towards a practice more focused on social, cultural, and historical concerns.