In her work, Ala Savashevich examines the processes of ideological identity formation and the complexities of memory. The selection of materials is pivotal to her practice; the artist intentionally incorporates Belarusian folk traditions and local craftsmanship.
The work Exercise is Technique that refers to the artist’s experiences from her adolescence, particularly the strict discipline that prevailed at school. Additionally, the linen fibre used in the work allude to both the hard labor of previous generations and the mystical dimension of rural rituals. The disturbing image-mask resembles a stereotypical feminine hairstyle, while simultaneously exuding a stone-faced expression, evoking the propagandistic aesthetics of socialist realism.
Ala Savashevich, Exercise is Technique I, 2024,
steel, chainmail, linen fibre, 100 × 90 cm