"Dusha," a journey through Russia, encapsulates the very essence of the soul—a breath, a desperate grasp for life in moments of oppression. This photographic odyssey becomes a poignant exploration of the disappearing echoes of an epoch that, though quietly fading, tenaciously endures. Dusha, synonymous with personhood, encapsulates the heart of Mother Russia—a vast expanse experienced day by day, absorbed, and observed. The language, the dialects, the temperatures of the most remote corners, all mirrored in solitude and tinged with melancholy.
This body of work is an ingenious testament to the artist's immersive engagement with a new environment, language, and life. The gradual process of discovery unfolds as an intimate journey against time, an urgent task to capture the fleeting moments before they vanish. The photographs, small frescoes of remote places, serve as postcards of memory, revealing the subtleties of a world in transition. The artist, for the first time, delves into this vast terrain, becoming an initiate in the nuanced landscape of Russia, capturing the atmosphere and suggestions of an epoch that resists its own disappearance.
"Dusha" marks the initiation into a long-term relationship with a country that will span two decades. This work becomes a training ground, a precursor to the deepening exploration of Russia's layers and complexities. The artist's lens becomes a vessel for seeing and feeling another world—an evocative beginning of a journey that transcends time and space, capturing the soul of Russia in its myriad forms and expressions.
