ukritie is a project of looking backward. It began with the discovery of a personal archive of photographs from 2005–2014, a period when the artist, born in Vladivostok, was alternately part of various indie movements and subcultures linked to music and fantasy literature. Characters from this recent past were reimagined, transformed, and deformed—becoming, in essence, fictional. These memory‑images the artist has decided to live through once again now, tracing each one with hot wax onto soft fleece blanket fabric to create the core of the project: a series of more than 40 paintings. Additionally, ukrytiye incorporates various found artifacts and attributes that were once necessary for participation in those micro‑communities.

The urge to escape reality into reverie appears today as one of the era’s raw nerves, common to the most diverse social groups: a growing interest in magical practices both in popular culture and in critical discourse, the rise of subcultural movements, a pull toward extended netstalking, organizing raves, retreating into the forest as hermits. For the artist, the idyllic communion with characters from “nostalgia traps” is a shelter, a place she deeply wanted to hide from the anxious events unfolding on the planet today. It’s uncertain whether peace can be found in this shelter, whether it can save… one might encounter the frightening and lose oneself in a world of dreams. Yet the artist dares to embark on a journey through the resurrected memories of childhood and rebellious youth, inviting the viewer to join her.