"Rapidly expanding closed cottage eco-villages at the foot of the Sober-Bash Mountain have grown into the landscape. Snow-white fence kilometres frame the development area, going deep into the forest and demonstrate new optics – descents to the river are being closed, part of the water of which was dug up by graders and turned into stagnant; islands of multi-coloured plastics and construction debris appear.
Making our way through the forest and this formed maze, in search of an exit to the mountain river Ubin, we find ourselves on a hilly meadow. Here, among the trees, "Parasiticus" (2018) was growing strong — the first part of the installation — a frame structure, where iron peaks were hidden under the agro fibre, a rising settlement (human activity as it can be like a parasite that attacks and absorbs). Now we are contemplating its strengthened and shaped form, which has expanded its possessions. Along the river, its sprouted division deployed — the installation "Happiness is loading here" (2021). A structure in the form of a swing gate consists of a frame wrapped in biodegradable agro fibre.
The two-part work is a tribute to a place full of memories and happiness — a place where, since childhood, Yana and her family came several times a year. The artist did not set the task of making something akin to a manifesto. Installation is an action to find symbiosis and internal and external balance with the environment and circumstances. The work will not be abandoned in the forest and will be dismantled in a timely manner".
Yana Vasilyeva (b. 1986 Krasnodar), artist.
Works with photography, installation and sculpture. In her artistic practice, she relies on visual codes and symbolism, often depicting human interaction with nature, the coexistence of self-expression and equality; explores utopias and the impact of information flows.
She is a winner of and has been shortlisted for many international awards in the field of photography: International Photography Awards, USA; Prix de la Photographie Paris, France; Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers, UK; GoSee Awards, Germany, etc. Participant of festivals and exhibitions, including the Berlin and Barcelona Photobiennale; Festival of Contemporary Art, Spain; Head On Festival, Australia; International Festival of Photography PhotoVisa and Center for Contemporary Art Typography, Russia; Pingyao International Photography Festival, China; Palm Springs Art Museum, USA; CICA Museum, South Korea.
