PHOTOGRAPHER, NETHERLANDS
25/26
ART PROJECT OF
MARIA KITAEVA



25/26 is a project for memory, the author's experience of separation from home and family. All works were made during the first year of the Maria's stay in the Netherlands due to the war in Ukraine. Each object carries a special meaning and visualizes a close connection with the things dear to the author's heart. In the center of the exposition is the embroidery of Maria's grandmother, it was this thing from her house,
the family heritage that inspired her for this project.
The Concept
Uprooted Flower
This object depicts very personal elements for the author: her house and her parents' house, her family of five, the furniture in her house and the cows grazing in her village. The separate blocks are united by a symbolically uprooted flower.
The thought “we are so far apart or closer than ever” is literally about relationships with loved ones who have endured the test of difficulties and have become stronger despite the fact that everyone is now in different countries.
They are all under the same moon and sun.


Scans of Dairy 2021/2022












Triple candlestick in the shape of people are an image of a separated family that was forced to leave their country as a result of the war. Mother and two children of her.
«People in Ukraine are used to decorating their houses, fences and gates, even if they live very poorly. So after walking through the streets of Ukrainian villages in Odesa region in Google Maps, I chose colors and patterns that remind me of the village where I grew up and lived all the time before the war. The village of Rozselenets (literally translates "a person subject to resettlement"). This name is now perceived even differently.»
Ceramic triple candlestick

“Home is a place that keeps all the memory of us. Ordinary objects are all filled with special meaning.
That is why breaking these bonds brings so much pain.”
Movement and Ceramic Rider
This is a clear picture of a person lost ground under his feet and he is carried away by his anxieties. They are harmless and lead to nothing, just roll the rider around. "Horses" are not obvious to anyone except the rider and he does not really control them.



Blue Mask
This is a picture of my inner state and of many other people who are trying to move on. Pain and joy now go hand in hand with each other. While you are having dinner at a restaurant with new friends, you are flipping through the news about a new tragedy somewhere near your home. You call your family who live for a long time without electricity and water and you understand that your difficulties are not a problem, so mentioning it seems inappropriate. It's mixed feelings


Embroidered plate
The motif was grandmother's embroidery with flowers. This is the very first work of all in this project. At the time of the creation of this ceramic plate, Maria had only one backpack of things with which she came to the Netherlands, but tried to recreate what was dear to her in her home. “Everyone has such things that give a feeling of home and security even in a new place. I thought if I don't have it with me I can recreate it."

Maria Kitaeva was born in Odessa in February 1997. She grew up and spent 25 years living in a very small village called Rozselenets. Before the war, she lived with her husband on the same street with all her relatives, or rather 4 families in three generations, so the theme of family boundaries remains very significant to her. Maria has been involved in art since childhood with the support of her parents. She also began to explore photography at the age of 12 using her mother's camera. Photography is still an integral part of Maria's life, for her it is an necessary tool for exploring her connection with this world and objectifying her own imagination and ideas. After school, she studied as a painter at the Odessa Grekov Art College in 2014-2017.
Contact information for cooperation:
+31638663114