My work comes from living between two lives. I grew up in post-Soviet Russia and later moved to the United States, a transition that required learning a new language, new customs, and an entirely different way of existing in the world. That shift was not seamless. It created a persistent fear of losing my culture, which is central to my identity, and of watching my earliest memories fade as new ones took their place.

Painting became a way to preserve what felt at risk. Through my work, I examine how the past continues to shape the present, a process I find endlessly compelling. I also engage in an extensive search for post-Soviet imagery, often uncovering forgotten objects and memories that resurface through the act of looking. This growing archive has become central to my practice, allowing memory and heritage to remain active, present, and intact within my work.