Eva Fomitski

The project is devoted to the research of totalitarianism and psychological manipulation aimed at reshaping political ideologies within Ukraine's tenure in the USSR, focusing on the period from 1920 to 1970. Coercive tactics for managing human lives like resources left a notable mark on behavioral patterns and thinking strategies in society. Contrary to improving citizens' lives, the Soviet system prioritized power consolidation, quashing rebellion through ruthless suppression.

The project focuses on my personal impressions and observations of the farmers, revealing how dispossession and coercion into collective farms was an attempt to transform humans into system slaves.

Childhood is closely intertwined with the feeling of losing the past. The period of life when I felt complete freedom and safety has passed, and the person I was as a child no longer exists..

Drawing upon the concept of memory reconsolidation, which involves multiple rewrites of memories that are triggered upon revisiting a previously formed memory trace, a thought arises: Do our authentic memories of past experiences persist, or do we merely retain rewritten imaginary memories supported by visual materials? In 2021, for my birthday, my dad digitized old videocassettes from my childhood. After the war, these videos took on completely different meanings for me. The pre-war life is becoming hazier, and the present and future are becoming more unpredictable. The deformation of objects on the old videocassettes, overlays of strange sounds, children's cries, and distortion of colors are something that shows and visualizes the ambivalence of our new reality, and the sense of fragility of personal experiences and memories.

The project explores the complex emotions and experiences of individuals living through war and displacement.

The project centers around the idea that joy and carefree moments of dancing can be a source of both comfort and guilt for those who have fled their homes and are now living in a safe place outside of their country.

Series of photos shows formalistic sketches of the human body in motion, depicting the symbolic transformation of human images into "monstrous anthropomorphic bodies". Through these sketches, the project aims to capture the complexities of the survivor's syndrome and the guilt that can accompany feelings of pleasure and joy during times of war and displacement. It is an opportunity to reflect on the emotional and psychological effects of war on individual lives and to honor the resilience of those who have had to leave their homes and live with the trauma of war.