Derbent Speaks, 2023
Video Art
Strong Normal Residency, Derbent, Russia
Vika Malysheva (born 1990)
Curated by Kirill Preobrazhensky and Albina Mokhryakova

The city has a language.
It is in the text that we see on signs, billboards, small and large ads.
Sometimes he tells us stories

According to various estimates, from half a million to 900 thousand people have left Russia since February 24, 2022. The vast majority of these people did not actually plan to emigrate. In order to live through this experience, we are trying to understand it. When forced to leave urgently, a person compresses his world to a couple of suitcases or just one backpack. However, even when you left the country with a single backpack, it would contain baggage from the previous life. I/m curious about what people brought with them. As it turned out, in addition to clothes and documents, people took amazing things. The author of the project asked people to tell a story about one particular thing they carried in their baggage. All these stories are as different as people could be. Having listened to those who wished to share their stories, the author tried to parse these stories and objects. People bring memories, happy moments, and the feeling of home with them. Some of them are more practical and firstly prefer functionality. Also, we discovered the objects that ended up in emigration unconsciously or by accident, in which case they should obtain their meaning already in a new place. Meanings are transformed: a thing that used to have some meaning at home, could mean something else in a different country. Nevertheless, if something has been chosen to travel with the owner, then it matters.

This project is a glance at the emigration from Russia in 2022 from the material point of view.

The author disassembled all the things that people shared into three components: material (the thing itself), stories (if you isolate the story from the object, then you can see the connection between the stories), and the third component, which is expressed in emotions, relation of its owner, rather than the object itself. Thus, the exhibition includes three sections.

The first section shows the objects directly. They are grouped based on their purpose of use or practical significance, or how they ended up with their owners. The things that store memories turned out to be the largest group. The next group contains the things that make feel homelike in a new place. The third one includes the objects as a reference point for finding harmony with oneself (in a new place, reference points are needed – if you can bring them with you, that’s good). The fourth set is the objects whose function matters first of all. They are used for their intended purpose. Finally comes the unconscious: here are the things taken unintentionally or even accidentally. Then it takes on a new meaning in a new place, for example, a receipt from the Russian McDonald’s.

In the second section, you will find the stories that people brought along with their luggage.

The third section contains emotions: the author invited to tell what an object meant for its owner and how it ended up in emigration.

These are hard times for all of us. If this research provides an opportunity to talk about this experience, as well as the chance to observe it from a different point of view, then perhaps this research could be found useful. The author keeps on collecting exhibits and stories, and the project will go on until the war is over.

Emotions, 2023
Videoart, "THIS IS MINE" project
Vika Malysheva (born 1990)

The author invited to tell what an object meant for its owner and how it ended up in emigration

The Wave, 2023
Poster printed on paper
Vika Malysheva (born 1990)

This work was created for the group exhibition "Yachting is..." at MYXA Gallery in Moscow
It seemed to me that I was afraid of open water, because the depth, its scale relative to the size of a person is amazing. A person is not meant to live in water, at the same time the sea beckons to itself, reminding you that it can swallow you up. For me, yachting is a means of communicating with the element of water and a way to satisfy an engrossing curiosity.

The Impossible Constructivism, 2021,
Posters printed on paper
Vika Malysheva (born 1990)

In Russia, there are laws regulating the glazing of balconies and loggias in apartment buildings.
In particular, the Federal Law of December 30, 2004 No. 214-FZ establishes mandatory requirements for glazing balconies and loggias, according to which glazing must comply with fire safety requirements, and also be made of materials that ensure the safety of building structures and its facade.
Each region of Russia may have its own regulations that establish rules and requirements for glazing balconies and loggias.
For example, Moscow has Decree of the Government of Moscow No. 250-PP dated May 11, 2010, according to this document, glazing of balconies and loggias must comply with energy efficiency requirements, and also be made of materials that ensure the safety of building structures and its facade.

However, there is no document according to which it is necessary to preserve the appearance of the house in its original form. Thus, if you look at apartment buildings, you can count dozens of shades of window frames and dozens of different options for glazing balconies. They are overgrown with signs that dozens and hundreds of families with their own preferences live in the house. In the original form of the house, there is no value either for its inhabitants, or for the city, or for the country.

In this project, I came up with what Soviet panel houses in Moscow would look like if people loved the house as a whole and kept the facade in its original form.

Nastoyatelnica, 2020,
Poster printed on paper
Vika Malysheva (born 1990)

The girl in the painting is surrounded by craft beer, which represent the idea of enjoying the simple pleasures of life. The nimbus around her head symbolize the transcendent quality of such experiences - that is, how even small moments of pleasure can feel like divine blessings. The girl in the painting appears confident and self-assured, which represent the idea of female empowerment. At the same time the nimbus around her head also symbolize her inner strength and resilience. The combination of traditional Renaissance-style setting and modern craft beer represent the idea of transcending boundaries - that is, breaking down barriers between different eras and cultural spheres.

Three guys, 2020,
Poster printed on paper
Vika Malysheva (born 1990)

In this artwork, three young men sleeping next to a cozy fireplace in the middle of a forest. The men are wrapped in blankets and appear to be in a deep, peaceful slumber.
Each of the men has a nimbus surrounding their head. The forest setting creates a sense of intimacy and connection between the men and their surroundings. The fireplace provides warmth and comfort, and the fact that the men are sleeping suggests a sense of trust and safety - that they feel secure enough to let their guard down and rest in the midst of the festival's excitement.
Overall, this artwork captures a sense of community and camaraderie, as well as a connection to the natural world and the transformative power of music. It suggests that the festival experience can be more than just a temporary escape from everyday life - it can be a deeply meaningful and spiritually resonant experience that stays with us long after the music has stopped.

Ochumelye ruchki of the Moscow Metro, 2019,
Project
Vika Malysheva (born 1990)

This project is a collection of ridiculous repair solutions found in Moscow Underground