THE VEIL

I moved to Portugal in the summer of 2022. By that time, my husband and I had already been traveling for several years, with the desire to eventually live here. However, the final decision to move was driven by the impossibility of returning to my native country, Russia.

I became interested in the experiences of people for whom the move was an escape from political repression and war. Here in Porto, there is a close-knit community of people from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, where everyone knows each other. When we meet, I see a lot of warmth, joy, and shared fun. I also see people trying to put down roots by opening support spaces, launching thematic courses, and building businesses such as restaurants and bars serving Slavic dishes, and even bookstores with literature in their native languages.

After getting to know them more closely, I often learn that behind their social success and happiness lie heavy worries, with many of my friends suffering from depression. However, this side of life remains invisible and private, hidden behind the doors of their homes.

Working on this project became a therapeutic process, allowing me to live through my own feelings as well as those of all the people I photographed. I would visit their homes, where we would talk about their history of emigration, and then I would take pictures. It was a meditative process, immersing in a state of silent reflection.

In the project, I conceptualize the search for a sense of home in a foreign country as a quest for security and stability.

I observe how the severing of ties with the past becomes interwoven with the present, pulling it away and keeping it in a suspended state. I also see how the mechanisms of forced mimicry and hesitation prevail in the attempt to adapt to an unfamiliar environment.