The artist became interested in the concept of refugia—areas where certain species, mostly plants in this work, survive under unfavorable conditions (climatic, economic, historical, etc.).

A striking embodiment of such natural capsules is the kurgans, large burial mounds from ancient times. In southern Ukraine, where the artist is from, Scythian kurgans are the most common, and a part of their practice is dedicated to studying them. Kurgans preserve the region’s original flora. Even after excavations and amidst artificial landscapes, they retain seeds and plant roots that have grown there for thousands of years.

Today, when information about temporarily occupied regions is fragmented, the existence of refugia as islands of local memory feels both meditative and inspiring. Working with this theme, the artist explores the historical and ecological context of the region during and beyond Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A refugium can be seen as a state of dormancy, waiting, or internal tension—one that will eventually emerge from. It can be interpreted partly as a metaphor for returning to de-occupied lands from the relatively safe place where the artist currently resides. Or perhaps it is simply a real ecological scenario, where organisms regain their natural territories.