3000km and 300m

2024

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This is the tale of Lena and Sasha, recounting how they rescued themselves, their son, and Lena’s mother from the occupied Mariupol. Initially, they sought refuge in the basement of a former hospital located 300 meters from their home. Subsequently, they journeyed 3000 km from their hometown, passing through Russia, until they reached Võru, where they currently reside. I first encountered them as a volunteer in April 2022 at the border gates in Narva, and we have maintained contact ever since. They graciously shared their stories with me and consented to their inclusion in this exhibition, for which I am profoundly grateful.

The words ‘text’ and ‘textile’ share the same etymological root and are both intertwined with the histories of narration and storytelling. In today’s inundation of violent imagery, particularly from war zones, there’s a risk of desensitization to the realities of such events. Hence, I made the deliberate choice to stitch their story, word by word, while intentionally avoiding the creation of violent and destructive images that could depict the family’s ordeal. I dedicated significant time to their narrative, and I hope you will similarly invest your time in it.