Katerina Chris, Anomalia, Wood, 2024
Katerina Chris, Big Worm, Paper Pulp, 2023
Katerina Chris, Small Worm, Paper Pulp, 2023
Big Worm and Small Worm were created with paper I made by myself from scratch. The process of making paper made my body and mind work in an unusual state—a state like a trance. This psychotic “half-conscious” condition expanded my creativity boundaries. The steps of the papermaking procedure were based on repetitive actions reminding me of a Voodoo dance like a religious ritual.
The Sculptures were formed from numerous sheets of paper combined with two fibers, Abaca and Flex. Every sheet represents the memories convened in my mind as a stack of dried leaves. Memories about my past. Memories about the actions of others. Memories about emotional experiences I obtained as a child growing up in Ukraine, the place I was born and lived until I was fifteen. They are trapped in my mind like a film of an old slide projector appearing once a day in front of my eyes. As earth's helminths wander inside my brain, living as parasites absorbing my energy and my wellbeing. On every sheet, there were added drops of Indian black ink mixed with paper pulp to imprint the dark spots and notable events that caused me damage, filling my consciousness with fears. I added poppy seeds and cheesecloth on some spots of the bigger sculptures. Poppy seeds were a usual ingredient my grandmother was using to decorate her baked goodies. Cheesecloth was used for making Ukrainian homemade cheese, tvorog. The image of the pouch, made of cheesecloth filled with cheese, hanging on the old steel sink in my grandmother’s kitchen just imprinted in my mind like a snapshot from a horror movie. A movie that I am forced to watch every day about my past that is strenuous to talk about.
Katerina Chris, Oblivion, Charcoal and Oil on Paper, 2021
Artist Website: katerinachris.com