Collaboration with Nadiya Petrovska
Concrete, glass, plastic, acrylic, liquid.
Size: 12 x 13 x15 cm
Our nervous system protects us in the same way that we in Ukraine preserve the memory of our urban spaces from destruction. A traumatic event is, in a certain way, also protected with sandbags to prevent us from re-immersing ourselves in the terrifying experience of the past. Over time, it can seem that for many people, even a living body becomes a monument surrounded by sandbags. We will unconsciously avoid everything that reminds us of the trauma, often without even understanding why. Because the sandbags not only protect but also reliably hide the unhealed monuments of the past from our view.
Series concept
The gift that no one would want to receive.
No one in their right mind would ever want this gift. Yet, fate and our nervous systems grant it to us, leaving us with no other choice. War is a profound trauma. While the conflict will eventually end, the triggers—certain objects, sounds, and places—will repeatedly pull us back into the raw feelings and states we once experienced. These memories settle at the bottom of our psyche like a heavy block of concrete, lying dormant as long as they are connected to intense negative emotions. We cannot move forward until we have reconsidered these events and understood how they have reshaped our personalities and values for the better. Only then can these memories be transformed into the foundational blocks of the person we are yet to become. Triggers cannot be escaped; they must be confronted and discharged so they are not inherited by our children.