Grek

In Valentina Stepanova's research, Grek—her father’s nickname, referring to his Greek-Armenian descent—she delves into the tragic and mysterious times of her home country during perestroika. By revisiting her childhood and reconstructing memories of her home country during the 90s, Stepanova aims to explore the concept of commemoration.

What does it mean to mourn a place, person, or time you cannot physically visit? Can one embrace and deconstruct nostalgia? What might a memorial for confusion look like today?

By revealing memories of the tumultuous post-Soviet Russia through the prism of her personal story, Stepanova will observe and analyze the vicious cycle her country is experiencing. Through this process, she seeks to understand the friction between the past and present in her native country.