Maria Pleshkova: Innerscapes
Afterlove
If we could escape from our memory, it would be much easier...
But in the end our personalities are formed by our experiences,
be they positive or negative. Unfortunately, the negative experiences
are usually the strongest ones.
© Maria Pleshkova, Afterlove
Length: 03:04
2015
Do you know what it feels like to lose love? Of course, you do. Everybody does.
It’s nothing new, but each time and for each person it’s the collapse of their universe.
Losing love is painful, and many people try to escape from pain and other strong emotions in any affordable form of anesthesia. In this project I consciously investigate the emotions, giving them a visual and symbolic shape.
View Exhibition: Afterlove
This project is autobiographical. In this project, Maria is both a photographer and a protagonist. After a romantic break-up, she decided to live in front of the camera for some time and to document what was happening to her. This project can be called a self-documentary piece. The photographs are accompanied by texts. The texts represent the scientific point of view on romantic break-ups.
The pictures are very intimate and passionate, and the texts, by contrast, are very strict and cold. They are juxtaposed, but altogether they tell a complete story of a broken heart.
Book Presentation
I believe in the healing power of art. Initially, this project was my art-therapy. And it worked wery well: it helped me to overcome the romantic break-up. When it was finished, I asked myself: “Do I really want to show it to people? Or probably it will be better to put it aside and to forget about it?” And I decided to show it. Because I think other people can relate to this project and find something for themselves: some hope, perhaps.
Book "Afterlove" presentation video
Length: 02:08
In the end, this book was never published. I have a dummy (one copy) – and that’s it. Getting back to this project was too hard for me. So, it exists as a photo-series: it was published in the media, it was shown at some festivals and exhibitions. And I’m happy with that. But I want to go further.