Marina Istomina (b. 1993, Ust-Kut) is a Moscow-based visual artist working with issues of memory, trauma, and particularly with traumatic experience. Her practice is often based on interviews and archives that are embodied through visual images. Istomina’s works have been shown in museums and galleries across Russia. She is a winner of the Calvert Journal’s Makers of Siberia Special Jury Prize 2019.
Recommended by Elena Anosova
Swimming Pool. Krysha, 2018-2020. Krysha (“roof”) is slang for “protection,”specifically from criminal groups; the project is built around the murder of the local crime boss, who gave such protection to Istomina’s stepfather
Archive photo. Krysha, 2018-2020. Two people in this photo were killed along with the crime boss
Location of the Murder. Krysha, 2018-2020
Tombstones. Krysha, 2018-2020
Balaklava Diptych (p. II). Krysha, 2018-2020. Istomina works through her traumatic memories, combining archival materials with performative self-portraits
“The Irkutsk Police in Dire Straits.” Bulletin. Krysha, 2018-2020
Archive photos of Ust-Kut residents. Krysha, 2018-2020. The project included a “background” of 1,700 archive photos of local residents
Immersion Heaters. Krysha, 2018-2020
Embrace. Krysha, 2018-2020
Flash. Krysha, 2018-2020
A Man. Krysha, 2018-2020
Garage. Krysha, 2018-2020
Shooting. Krysha, 2018-2020
Road. Krysha, 2018-2020. Members of the crime group often travelled from town to town to visit local bosses
