*all sales profits go to the ongoing struggle for democracy in Ukraine.

LOST, Uzhhorod (Ukraine) by Jules Slütsky, 2019

So, You Speak Russian?

I set out to make a body of work that spoke about displacement and isolation from the perspective of a female immigrant. Experience as an immigrant has been part of my life since my family’s move to the United States from Ukraine in the late 90s. Photographed over the course of five years in a small city in Western Ukraine, this work explores my pursuit for home and identity.

To my surprise the journey made me an observer and cataloguer. What once was home now became a site to extract specimens and carefully arrange still-lifes of precious memorabilia, which came to resemble altar tops. Portraits of family had lost their intimacy; once inhabited rooms now sun damaged, empty and broken. The journey was often heartbreaking but offered a catharsis that allowed me to move away from an identity that was no longer viable.

I chose the title as a nod to Ukraine’s political and cultural desecration, still reeling from the effects of Soviet-era rule. Ukraine’s identity is often skewed and under-looked. Frequently, I am confronted by people who cannot differentiate between the language or culture of the two nations. Whether an allegory of a present condition or an attempt to re-frame the past, this work addresses our basic human need for belonging and ties to the land. A deeply personal journey, as well as a universal struggle. - Jules Slütsky

*Collected by Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Getty Institute, Whitney Museum, Guggenheim Museum, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Syracuse University, ArtCenter College of Art and Design, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Arcadia University, Texas State University, University of Iowa, Ryerson University and George Washington University; amongst others.

7 x 8.5" softcover
48 pages, offset
First Edition, limited edition to 250 copies
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