Someday long ago coffee machines using capsules became available in Moscow. I started collecting the capsules from relatives and friends until I got a lot of them. And now there are quite a lot of coffee capsules, because in Russia, the programs of their processing and utilization are practically non- existent. And for some reason I was absolutely amazed by the beauty of these capsules. Besides, I realized that there had been nothing like this in the visual arts before, so it was an opportunity for me.

Of course, in the course of my work, I also thought a lot about the meaning of coffee capsules. In a way they are a symbol of time for a modern urban person, who can measure her life with them. And there is an environmental problem caused by them, because without proper methods of processing aluminum, which they are made of, will remain in the earth for hundreds of years. This is a real disaster.

Therefore, I can say that my work with coffee capsules is also a way to reuse them. Instead of turning into rubbish, now they travel around the world with exhibitions and bring joy to people.

Famous lines of Anna Akhmatova come to mind also: "I wish you knew from what kind of litter // My verses grow without any shame." But while for Akhmatova it is a metaphor, in my case it’s all very straightforward.

"MY ART IS ADDRESSING THOSE ECCENTRICS WHO SORT AND STORE GARBAGE IN THE BACKYARD"

And similarly I am fascinated by the medieval Japanese art of ceramics restoration - kintsugi. The philosophy of kintsugi is that a master should not try to hide breakages and cracks, so that they become invisible. After all, an old object that has seen a lot during its lifetime has its own more subtle beauty than a new thing; and the master's task is to discover and show it in the restored object. And so is my art, it’s addressing those eccentrics who sort and store garbage in their backyards, keep memories of people who have disappeared from their lives, love the beauty of empty half-ruined buildings and old objects.

Or here is another example of where I take my inspiration from. One of my works is dedicated to the Maxxi Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome, designed by Zaha Hadid. But the ultramodern building keeps the memory of the barracks that were located at this place before: the architect carefully preserved the old facade and made the main entrance to the museum there.

And I had such a strange dialogue with Hadid: her Maxxi building inspired me to one of the compositions with coffee capsules. But since the technique is rather complex, it took me quite a long time to create the work. And it so happened that when I started, Zaha Hadid was still alive, and by the time this work was completed, she was no longer. It turned out that my work is a kind of tribute to the memory of this great architect.

“I’M INTERESTED IN THINGS THAT HAVE BECOME OBSOLETE AND FORGOTTEN. I WANT THEM TO CONTINUE THEIR LIFE IN MY ART”