Belarusian-American Poet and Artist Based in London. based in London

My work grapples with themes of memory, renewal, and resilience in the face of atrocities.
My family left Belarus in 2021, on the last commercial flight out, following a nationwide uprising, which was brutally tamed. Because my husband is American, we spend the next two years in the US, on a barrier reef island in South Carolina, which was deeply informative for my work. In 2023 we made a move to London, where we had met when I was an undergraduate student. Feeling the shifting political and cultural attitudes in each place I have called home only propelled my quest for belonging and desire to understand a world marked by upheaval. From my early life in Minsk to the transformative experiences of London’s vibrant art scene as a young adult, I have continually sought to reconcile the darkness of history with creativity.
My work is informed by my itinerant course of life, as well as familial artistic heritage. My paternal grandfather’s unfulfilled artistic aspirations and my maternal grandfather’s life-altering encounter with a renowned Belarusian poet serve as poignant reminders of the complexities of creative expression in the face of historical trauma.
Because I am a multidisciplinary creator, I often use poetry as a starting point for my artistic practice. I have had a number of books published in Russian and am currently working on several writing projects alongside my visual art.

Education:
2023-25 Master of Fine Arts, New York University Creative Writing with a focus on Poetry. Working with Catherine Barnet, Matthew Roher, Alex Dimitrov and Nicole Sealey.
2004-09 Bachelor of Arts, English Language and Literature, Minsk Sate Linguistics University
Selected Exhibitions:
2024 "Under the Sky", curated by Nadzeya Naurotskaya, AORTA Galleria di Arte Sociale (formerly Roots Gallery), group show, Pisa, Italy
2022 "Underneath", SC, USA
2019 "Life Lines", Gallery Institute Kultury, Minks, Belarus
2018 "Parts of a Whole", Savitsky Gallery, Minsk, Belarus Parts of the Whole, Dzvina Art Center, Vitebsk, Belarus
Selected Bibliography:
2023 "Анталогія паэтак" Anthology of female poets from Belarus, edited by Valzhyna Mort, Blafbaum, Berlin
2017 "Полюса" Poetry and essays, Halijafi, Minsk
Selected Writing:
2025 "Make Love Like There is No War", Water-Stone Review
2024 "Blue Butterflies", La Piccioletta Barca, shortlisted for the LPB prize 2024
2023 "Not an Ode to Breasts", The New York Times
2022 "A Photograph from Irpen", Poetry Archive
Other publications can be found here.