At the basis of neuroses lies anxiety, which, like steam in a sealed vessel containing boiling water, seeks an exit in the form of obsessions, compulsive conditions and involuntary movements. As with the steam, bursting through the weakest area in the surrounding container, the manifestations of a neurosis formed under the pressure of anxiety identify the weakest points in the psyche under attack. And so, as with the creation of artificial obstacles in the path of the steam escaping to the outside, the attempts of the personality to counter the appearance of the neurotic impulse by force of will, masking the external signs of neurosis, only bring closer the moment of internal catastrophe.
It Is Stronger Than You (2023)
Silicone rubber, resin, fibreglass, wood
160 x 120 x 27 cm
A person exists in a social environment, strictly regulated by the limits of permitted behaviour in public places. And the neurosis-driven need to complete a ritual can run contrary to social mores and the unvoiced expectations of surrounding people. At this moment a person is at the point of collision of two opposing forces, each trying to bend that person to its will and exercise control over their actions: fear and social demands. The necessity of making a choice and thoughts about its cost - death versus condemnation or ridicule - literally tear the personality apart.
It Is Stronger Than You (2023)
Silicone rubber, resin, fibreglass, digital snapshots
Dimensions variable
Installation view from the 'Parasomnia' exhibition at AMP Gallery, London.
It Is Stronger Than You (2022)
Digital photograph print on canvas, video, balloons, steel cables
Overall dimensions: 352 x 200 x 328 cm (canvas size: 150 x 100 cm)
Total length of each video: 13 min
Installation view from the 'Experiences of Human Isolation' exhibition at Gogol's House, Moscow, curated by Elena Sheveleva and Anastasia Kazakova.