A series of graphic works by artist Yana Dmitrieva
Emigration, for me, is a painful, anxious, and contradictory experience. When personal circumstances intersect with global events, echoing anxiously within others—driving some toward emigration while leaving others unable to leave—these internal collisions
...
became the starting point for my series, Degree of Presence. The time I devoted to these graphic works became a kind of therapy for me. My choice of ink and lines to express this theme was deliberate: the lines convey the raw nerves and tremors of the moment, the gesture, line, and color becoming a direct continuation of my emotional state. Each of the ten works in this series carries nervous energy: the lines tremble, the color pulses, articulating anxiety. There is no hope, no happy ending—only an exploration of the moment.
The title, Degree of Presence, reflects this uncertainty: how present am I here and now? To what extent do my circumstances depend on me? Are the actions I take truly my desires or imposed upon me by others? Is the fear I experience mine, or does it belong to someone else? This series is an attempt to find balance between my circumstances, my identity, and the surrounding reality—between anxiety and acceptance. By creating these works, I am relearning how to feel my presence—fragile, yet real—in a world that is rapidly changing around me.
read more