The project CRIMEA: ALIEN MAP, MY TERRITORY by Boris Merzlyakov is the photographer and artist’s impression of the geopolitical processes occurring on the Crimean Peninsula in the 21st century.
This visual retrospective covers the ten regions of the Crimean Peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. The project represents the geographical map of Crimea filled with multiple metaphors and symbols
This land of incredible beauty was and remains my own personal territory. I have travelled all across Crimea: in my childhood with parents, later, in my school days, with classmates, and in adulthood with my friends and family. I would come here on weekend tours, hikes, business trips, and even on my own honeymoon. Every time that I came to Crimea, this welcoming place offered new hidden treasures
I learned that the name of the peninsula originates from the Crimean Tatar word Qırım meaning “moat or stronghold.” I was told that Bakhchysarai means “a Garden Palace.”
Here, I enjoyed life’s simple pleasures: relished the beauty of nature, played with pebbles on the beach, and tasted Chebureki, Muscat wine, and peaches – all the most delicious in the world.
Picture "Bahchisarai"
I dreamed that my children would experience them too. My seventeen-year-old daughter was luckier than her siblings. My wife and I had a chance to show her the wonders of Crimea, but for her six-year-old sister and three-year-old brother, the door suddenly closed.
That was when the initial idea was born for a project dedicated to this magical land. The work took almost three years.
On February 24, 2022, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian aggressors erupted. The reality turned out to be worse than the scariest nightmare: the attackers were taking away not only land, but also human lives.
For Russia and those countries that supported the annexation, the peninsula became a playing card on their table of political ambitions. But for Ukraine as for all of its citizens, it will never be just a spot on the map
a land of independent people
a possibility to live free in a civilized society
an inalienable part of our existence
Works are created in the technique of collage with the use of various materials (canvas, paint, cardboard, fabric, Styrofoam, and metal). The color palette and the combination of textures intensify the meaning of the scenes and add further visual depth to the compositions.
Oddly deformed or artificially aged. This technique reads like a special code on the map of Crimea, expressing the charged atmosphere that had developed in the region long before 2014
– 01.06.2007-30.07.2007 Kyiv. Gallery "Globus". Independence Square. TVC "Globus", 3rd line., collective exhibition within the project "Beauty that saves the world" Series of works "Women's map...".
– 14.02.2011-25.02.2011 Kyiv. Gallery "Bottega" str. Mykhailivska, 22b, Joint project with Valentin Karminsky for "NATALI" magazine, "Hola Pravda".– 18.07.2012-30.07.2012 Kyiv. Gallery "Darwin Plaza" str. Darwin 1a, "Hola Pravda 2" project for "NATALI" magazine.
– 9.04.2013-16.04.2013 Kyiv. Lavra Gallery. St. Lavrska, 1, collective exhibition within the project "Kyiv forever" Series of works " Kyiv. My Kyiv".
– 01.03.2015-30.04.2015 Berlin. Art Gallery and "Gruzignac" (Prenzlauer Allee 191, Prenzlauer Berg district) The personal art exhibition consisted of a series of works "Berlin imer hip and sexy" "Berlin is always modern and sexy".
– 24.08.2016-25.08.2016 Berlin. Embassy of Ukraine in Germany. Albrechtstrasse 26, 10117 The series of works "Kyiv. My Kyiv".
– 16.09.2016-25.09.2016 Kyiv. Within the framework of the festival "Gogolfest". Art platform platform. Popudrenka, 88/3 Series of works "Favorite women of our city".
– 03.12.2016-4.12.2016 Kyiv. SEX shop No. 1, 55 Yaroslavska St. collective exhibition within the project "third art evening in the first" Series of works "Favorite women of our city".
– 24.03.2017-3.04.2017 Collective photo exhibition of the creative photographic association "IKAR" (Kyiv) A series of photo works from the "Italian Behind the Scenes" project.
– 29.09.2018 – 30.09.2018 PREMIER PALACE HOTEL 5-7 BUL. T. SHEVCHENKO. Personal art exhibition as part of the WBFF presentation "Territory and map of female beauty".
–16.12.2018 – 17.12.2018 Shopping center "Atmosfera", Kyiv, Stolichne shose, 103. As part of the "REMESLO" festival, the "Territory and map of female beauty" project.
– 18.07.2019 – 25.08.2019 Golf Stream Kyiv Golf Club Hryvnevske Shosse, 1, village Havron region, Ukraine, Kyiv region Personal art exhibition "Territory and map of female beauty in sports"
120x80х2,5/5 cm
Author's technique of painting
Canvas on stretcher, structure gel, cardboard,
metal, acrylic, oil pastel
Kyiv, Ukraine
120x80х2,5/5 cm
Author's
Canvas on stretcher, structure gel, cardboard,
metal, acrylic, oil pastel
Kyiv, Ukraine
120х80х2,5/5 сm
Author's
Canvas on stretcher, structure gel, cardboard,
metal, acrylic, oil pastel
Kyiv, Ukraine
120x80х2,5/12 сm
Author's
Canvas on stretcher, structure gel, cardboard,
metal, acrylic, oil pastel
Kyiv, Ukraine
120x80х2,5/7 сm
Author's
Canvas on stretcher, structure gel, cardboard,
metal, acrylic, oil pastel
Kyiv, Ukraine
120x80х2,5/7 сm
Author's
Canvas on stretcher, structure gel, cardboard,
metal, acrylic, oil pastel
Kyiv, Ukraine
120x80х2,5/5 сm
Author's
Canvas on stretcher, structure gel, cardboard,
metal, acrylic, oil pastel
Kyiv, Ukraine
120x80х2,5/5 сm
Author's
Canvas on stretcher, structure gel, cardboard,
acrylic, oil pastel
Kyiv, Ukraine
120x80х2,5/5 сm
Author's
Canvas on stretcher, structure gel,
cardboard, acrylic, oil pastel
Kyiv, Ukraine
120x80х2,5/5 сm
Author's
Canvas on stretcher, structure gel, cardboard,
acrylic, oil pastel
Kyiv, Ukraine
