Talisman of Happiness (2014)

Biennale of Peace, St.Petersburg

3d animation, mapping projection, suitcase,

12 pieces large scale photo films 

Talisman of Happiness is a 3D mapping installation that investigates intergenerational connections and collective memory. The work interrogates the illusions and misplaced expectations that shape contemporary society’s understanding of geopolitical realities.

The installation is based on an artefact created by the artist’s late grandfather—a handmade “talisman” in the form of a medallion, featuring an embossed image of a boat upon the sea waves, placed in an old suitcase and inscribed with the simple message “Greetings from Crimea.” At the time of its creation, Crimea was a peaceful and thriving peninsula within Ukraine. Following the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014, the original suitcase and its medallions were lost. In response, the artist reconstructed the object through digital means, producing a 3D-scanned simulacrum that transforms the personal relic into a virtual memorial.

In this reimagined form, the Talisman of Happiness endures only as an ephemeral digital imprint—an echo of a once-peaceful message now refracted through the lens of displacement, loss, and historical rupture.

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