In my work, I find and create temporary constructions from found objects in abandoned apartments in northern Russia. Although I have never been to these places before, the post-Soviet spaces and objects left behind by others awaken memories of my childhood.
Some of them remind me of my grandmother’s house: old fabrics, faded wallpaper, worn household items. These strangers' belongings feel surprisingly familiar, as if they have always been part of my life. Entering these deserted apartments, I seem to immerse myself in my past, engaging in a game where I search for “treasures” and build temporary constructions, like sandcastles.
Each of these constructions is born at the intersection of my personal memories and another’s history. They exist briefly, fading along with the spaces in which they were created, yet leaving behind a trace of shared presence. In these temporary moments, my experience merges with that of unknown others, drawing together fragments of lives once lived, like a silent conversation across time and memory.
