In contemporary Russian slang, the term "Tarelochnitsa" (from tarelka — "plate") is an ironic, often derogatory label for a woman who goes on dates solely for a free meal. However, my story is about a different kind of "plate-centric" life.
In 2023, together with my family, I was forced to emigrate from Russia due to the full-scale war against Ukraine. My interest in collecting vintage porcelain was born precisely in exile, where we now live in rented housing without our own dishes or familiar domestic objects. Through plates, I was able to construct a necessary sense of stability in a new country where everything feels unfamiliar — from language to culture.
This project explores the search for stability in emigration, a state where the future feels vanished and familiar foundations are gone.
In the displacement of exile, these plates have become my anchor. What started as a hobby evolved into a way of reclaiming a sense of home. This collection is not about consumption, but about finding joy and a solid ground in the fragile beauty of the past when the present feels shattered.
All of my plates have been assembled into a single collage, where each object becomes part of a larger narrative structure. On one of the plates, I inscribe my own authority through personification, allowing it to speak not only for itself but also for my position within this fragmented reality. Through this gesture, I suggest that the problem of identity and the search for anchors are shared conditions that unite all forced migrants.
