“For once we assign monumental form to memory, we have to some degree divested ourselves of the obligation to remember…

...the counter-monument thus flouts any number of cherished memorial conventions: its aim is not to console but to provoke; not to remain fixed but to change; not to be everlasting but to disappear; not to be ignored by its passersby but to demand interaction; not to remain pristine but to invite its own violation and desecration; not to accept graciously the burden of memory but to throw it back at the town’s feet.”

James E. Young

I was once told a story about a Soviet children’s game that taught trust, where children took treasures and buried them in a disclosed location under a piece of glass. The location would be shared with a single friend, letting a child learn to trust another person with their secret. Combining this narrative with the ancient, and still common practice of memorializing, I am asking questions about how art shapes individual and collective memories. This installation was created in a remote location and showcased in various exhibitions only through documentation.

Polina Isurin

Polina Isurin