ARTIST STATEMENT - JAN 2020

As a white refugee and Russian-American woman, I occupy a space of simultaneous tension and privilege, bridging worlds that normally remain invisible to each other; navigating realities polarized by a history of antagonism and fear. Drawing on the experiences of being suspended between languages and cultures, I am fascinated by the construction of social and individual female “otherness.” Other themes central to my work include vulnerability, transgenerational trauma, and traditions of ritual and myth as psychological and somatic tools for resilience and transformation.

My process is first and foremost driven by narratives of the body – as a site of physical experience, an archive of non-verbal memory, and a socio-political object or symbol. The work I create is rooted in these narratives, which I access through devising and improvisation. What stories are contained within our bones on a cellular level? How does the weight of our ancestors define our sense of gravity? How do the tensions of our muscles expand or constrict our notions of personal/political freedom?

Working within my own physical limitations of chronic illness, I am particularly interested in approaching performance outside of the traditional visual realm in which a cerebral process superimposes choreographic sequences, choosing instead the unraveling and externalizing of an existing vocabulary of motion that is innate to each individual. Such an approach is inherently inclusive, experimental, and open-ended: it allows each body to create its own dance and ask its own questions. I am also inspired by objects that act as intermediaries between human beings to negotiate connection and meaning, such as costumes, masks, prosthetics, and wearable technology. Although these elements are frequently used as aesthetic components of a performance, I am particularly interested in their role as direct extensions/externalizations of the body’s narrative.

My current work focuses on the investigation the psychological mechanisms of dehumanization and demonization at the root of extreme nationalistic policy.