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 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 mundane materials, such as tea bags, recycled fabric, tea, and coffee, serve as records of our daily activities and gatherings, while the fragmented quality of the work alludes to the constant shifts that occur in memory and history.