All images © Mila Zemliakova, shared with permission
Using vintage textiles from both her personal and her family’s collection of bedspreads and home decor, artist sews plush animal sculptures that connect various traditions of her Belarusian heritage. She draws correlations between her chosen creature and each pattern, color, and type of fabric, capturing the essence of a deer in floral brocade or that of a bison with tufted gray wool.
Largely oversized and perched in chairs, the anthropomorphic characters are expressive and often photographed outdoors in states of contemplation and solitude. In a note to Colossal, the artist shares that she sees the growing menagerie as embodying “the connection of Belarusians with their nature, as well as with their traditions, which are now in a dangerous position and under repression.”
Some of Zemliakova’s sculptures are available for purchase from or on , where you can also watch her at work.
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