Pockets in the Сloset

The project is based on the concept of involuntary memories of childhood and aims to reconstruct and recontextualise these memories through the use of individual artefacts that revolve around the central theme of play and object substitution.

The process of growing up is one of separation, where one experiences the loss of a past state and the transition to a new one. Engaging in play during this transitional phase is a technique for stabilising and navigating through these transformations, helping to assimilate new knowledge and form a structured understanding of the world.

In this project I look at play as a tool of compilation and a mechanism for reproducing the personal forgotten: play is a kind of place of transition, a place where completely different rules operate, where logic is built within a special world of eternal repetition.

Another aspect of the project concerns the theme of displacement. Games—particularly those played in childhood—often involve movement, transformation, and the reconfiguration of space. My own childhood games were shaped by imagery related to motion and the ephemeral nature of objects. Later, these games were materialised as objects, transferred from the realm of imagination into physical form. Though frequently exaggerated in scale, they remain fragile in nature—much like any image of childhood carried into the adult world of things.

There are several series included in the project.

“Chancellery” series, 2023  

The “Chancellery” series is a collection of graphics that merges elements of playing field with the structured, formal appearance of documents.

This fusion is inspired by the artist’s childhood experiences, where documents—typically significant only in the adult world—were repurposed as tools for drawing and play.
In adulthood, these same documents take on a different significance. They become instruments of bureaucracy, essential for navigating the administrative systems that govern modern life.
For emigrants, these documents are particularly crucial, as they hold the key to legal status, employment, and access to essential services.
The transition from play to bureaucracy is a shift from the imaginative to the procedural, marking a transformation in the way these documents are perceived and used.

“Registration” series, 2024

The collection of hand embroideries addressing the idea of a ticket, a pass. Central here is the concept of ‘entrance’ in the context of a game, emphasising the need to understand and follow certain set rules. This requirement reflects a form of initiation where knowledge of the rules of the game becomes a metaphor for various life transitions and associated cultural rituals.

“Memory Objects” series, 2023 — 2024

The series of “Memory Objects” includes images of childhood memories that exist only on the periphery of consciousness and do not coalesce into a single image. In an attempt to recreate this feeling, I worked with the frames of the passe-partout, the contents of which are always removed.