Fallen man

The Martyrs series operates at the intersection of speculative hagiography, dark romanticism, and decolonial queer somatics. Re-framing the concept of martyrdom outside canonical religious dogma, the project approaches the suffering body not as an instrument of divine submission, but as a site of radical vulnerability, desire, and quiet political refusal.

Constructed as precarious structures—utilizing fragile, ephemeral mediums such as raw paper, delicate tracing paper, cardboard, and ink—the works physically embody the transience and vulnerability of marginalized existence. Tracing paper, with its semi-transparent and ghostly quality, allows layers of anatomy, text, and myth to overlap, creating a visual effect of historical haunting: figures appear partially concealed, neither fully erased nor entirely present.

Drawing heavily on the aesthetic of dark romanticism, the series invokes a mythic, shadow-laden iconography where sanctity belongs to the abject, the criminal, and the queer body. By executing these figures through unstable, "poor" materials, the project rejects the monumental permanence of state and religious power. Here, the fragile cardboard and torn paper become a somatic metaphor for survival—holding together a choir of dubious, fragmented voices that refuse to be unified or silenced.

Presented at the exhibition "Feet above the ground", art-loft "Podzemka", 2021. Novosibirsk.