The CULTURE OF FAREWELL series occupies a liminal space between life, death, and cultural memory. In this series, I address a fundamental paradox: the conception of death serves not only as the finale of existence but as a primary instrument for the construction of identity. If our rituals define our relationship with death, they simultaneously act as a mirror reflecting our understanding of life.
The central inquiry of the series concerns the conflict of agency within the funerary rite: whose meanings does the ritual transmit? Is it an act of final recognition for the departed, or a mechanism for the self-assertion of those who remain? By exploring the traditional practices of various peoples, I deconstruct funerary attributes, transforming them into a symbolic code that reconstructs the unique life path of the individual.
The visual language of the works is grounded in the aesthetic of "frozen movement." Sculptural forms and animation cycles capture the moment of transition—from being into non-being, from physical flesh into a digital image.
The central inquiry of the series concerns the conflict of agency within the funerary rite: whose meanings does the ritual transmit? Is it an act of final recognition for the departed, or a mechanism for the self-assertion of those who remain? By exploring the traditional practices of various peoples, I deconstruct funerary attributes, transforming them into a symbolic code that reconstructs the unique life path of the individual.
The visual language of the works is grounded in the aesthetic of "frozen movement." Sculptural forms and animation cycles capture the moment of transition—from being into non-being, from physical flesh into a digital image.
series:
THE CULTURE OF FAREWELL
THE CULTURE OF FAREWELL
The burial rite of the Buryats (an indigenous people of the Transbaikal region in Russia)
HOILGO is a funeral horse that is buried alongside its owner during the burial ceremony in Buryat culture. The root "khoy" from the word "khoito" means "north." This indicates that the Buryats buried the deceased on the northern side or positioned with their heads facing north. The khoylgo symbolizes a horse directed toward the side where the sun does not shine.
HOILGO is a funeral horse that is buried alongside its owner during the burial ceremony in Buryat culture. The root "khoy" from the word "khoito" means "north." This indicates that the Buryats buried the deceased on the northern side or positioned with their heads facing north. The khoylgo symbolizes a horse directed toward the side where the sun does not shine.
series: The Culture Of Farewell
HOILGO
2022
media object
size: 63x30
video, genuine leather, polymer clay, branches, mixed media
media object
size: 63x30
video, genuine leather, polymer clay, branches, mixed media
2022
media object
size: 58x30
video, branches, polymer clay, fur, mixed media
media object
size: 58x30
video, branches, polymer clay, fur, mixed media
MY DEAR IMANA
series: The Culture Of Farewell
The funeral rite of the Evenks (an indigenous people of Eastern Siberia)
IMANA is a traditional Evenki name. Meaning: snowy, born during snow.
IMANA is a traditional Evenki name. Meaning: snowy, born during snow.
2023
media object
size: 70x40
video, plexiglass, satin, mixed media
media object
size: 70x40
video, plexiglass, satin, mixed media
BRIDGE OVER THE DEAD RIVER
series: The Culture Of Farewell
One of the funeral rites of the Eastern Slavs
The title plays upon a linguistic duality in the Russian language: smorodina refers both to the currant berry and to the mythical river of the dead in Slavic folklore. This double meaning serves as a metaphor for the threshold between the mundane and the mythological.
The title plays upon a linguistic duality in the Russian language: smorodina refers both to the currant berry and to the mythical river of the dead in Slavic folklore. This double meaning serves as a metaphor for the threshold between the mundane and the mythological.
2023
media object
size: 40x45
video, charcoal, felt, mixed media
media object
size: 40x45
video, charcoal, felt, mixed media
CHARCOAL
series: The Culture Of Farewell
The funeral rite of the Telengits (an indigenous Turkic minority people of Russia)
KIZHINIY SOGIN OTKO ERTYOR — the name of a burial method among the Telengits, in which the deceased was surrounded by firewood on four sides (aligned with the cardinal directions) and set on fire. Afterward, the remains were collected in a felt bag and hung on a tree.
KIZHINIY SOGIN OTKO ERTYOR — the name of a burial method among the Telengits, in which the deceased was surrounded by firewood on four sides (aligned with the cardinal directions) and set on fire. Afterward, the remains were collected in a felt bag and hung on a tree.
