Ani Zur: Fertility
© Ani Zur
Ani Zur (Iryna Ruzina)
I was born in Kiev (Ukraine) in 1979. I graduated from Moscow State University of Culture and Art (photography) in 2008. I work with the theme of physicality, "living" through the body subjects of my interest. In my projects, I explore the relationship of a person with the past, the ability of reflection and rejection of traumatic experiences (both personal and public), belonging to roots and the effect of "uprooted generation." I also work with the gender aspect of physicality, and the objectification of the taboo on female body demonstration (local context), the politicization and social roles. Some of my works raise the question of the general knowledge of a body, its authentic movement, due to the natural matter and manifestation of the very nature of physicality out from social, gender and political context.
The effect of presence and physical contact with instruments and materials is very important for me. That’s why I have been printing photos using manual technic for 6 years. It was necessary to leave my energy in every print. Then there was a transition to self-photography (talking about self-portraits) and physical experiencing the shot. Manual printing was replaced by personal producing of my ‘history’.
Performance is something that I started doing two years ago and that gave me the new possibilities of cooperation with reality. For me performance has a huge potential as a source of communication where through my body I set the connection to myself and therefore to all human beings. As a performer, I'm learning to be present using my attention here and now, and share this experience with others. Spectators, observers become co-present. It makes my work being able to exist. There are a lot of things can not be done alone, because strong emotions are unbearable when I have no one to share them with.
The project “Fertility” started in 2009 when I came back to my native places after a long absence and had a chance to meet my family, my kindred again, trying to understand what I as the bearer of the family name could convey further. At that moment I’ve reflected on the role of a woman in historical aspect and in contemporary world for the first time. What is lost, what is still actual? The interest raised to the history and our predecessors’ experience in slavic culture, especially before christianity, where women order was a replica of nature order and daily life rituals had a sacral meaning. Exactly this sacral aspect has stipulated a central point for the beginning of work.
As my family consists mainly of women they all and I have become the heroes of this story, lasting for 5 years. The last and the most important frame was the photograph where my 82 year old granny was holding my 3 week old daughter.
Fertility series left a lot of unresolved inner questions. It was a door, an entrance. And after that I went on working on them. In my projects, I explore the relationship of a person with the past, with mental and body memory, with the ability of reflection and rejection of traumatic experiences (both personal and public), belonging to roots and the effect of "uprooted generation." I also work with the gender aspect of physicality, and the objectification of the taboo on demonstration of nakedness. Some of my works raise the question of the general knowledge of a body and its authentic movement. I try to observe the connection between body and natural materials, including manifestation of the very nature of physicality out from social, gender and political context. Body as a shelter, body as a support, body as a repository of the human history.
© Ani Zur