Nastia Krasinskaia
My initial research question is: How can I find a balance between grounding my identity and embracing its fluidity, both as an artist and as a belonger? I am curious how this balance can be activated through the (narrative) strategies of autofiction and autotheory — and what this all even means.
My question emerges from my ongoing social and political challenges of moving from Russia to Europe, specifically Belgium, within the last five years. Starting as a stranger in a new context, I have struggled with being seen — and/or seeing myself — as a “Russian” artist/girl/immigrant, etc. But it is clear that this self-positioning easily creates misleading narratives, obvious simplifications, and generalizations, both for others and for my self-perception, both in my life and in my artistic practice. Carrying the (heavy) weight of the idea of power keeps me going in circles of self-objectification, flattening, and non-generative guilt. I want to question this through my practice and rethink my own identity with the complexities of fragmentation, entanglement, and intangibility.
I want to create confusion. I want to become confusion.
My research starts with a story of the clown puppets created by my parents and sent to us, my siblings, in Europe. Given a collective birth by caring hands of my mom, dad, and grandmother, the clowns have finally arrived here. I imagine them as my non-blood siblings. Sharing the experience of displacement from our home, we all appear to be in the same space, yet in very different states and positions. Being used to working with video and motion in my artistic practice, I have a certain desire to activate the puppets through these mediums as well. However, for now, I will try to stay conscious of my inclinations and open to different perspectives. I am curious to explore how we can enact each other and see what kind of stories we can tell.
