Nurtured - Anastasia Beltyukova

These two prints were created for Migration Museum in London.

I have been working on the ‘Home’ theme before the pandemic, exploring all aspects of it, but the global lockdown made all of us redefine what Home is for us, and see new angles to it - with global displacement and people having to leave their homes and settle in new places. When one happen to live in a foreign country, not having any roots there, not feeling grounded - one has to grow those roots. I was thinking of my friend who recently moved to another country for the second time and has to find her ground there, and all other people who lost or left their homes and have to ‘grow’ and nurture new ones before they become something that protects and contains them.

During the pandemic our perception of Home has changed. When something that represents safety, comfort and protection reveals its dark side and becomes a confinement, isolates us from others - we need to redefine and re-establish connection with that. As the times are getting darker and darker - when a lot of people leave they homes, being forced or by choice - integrating into a new place or culture could be a huge challenge, and this work is about carrying your home inside and cherishing that feeling instead looking for it outside. This print was inspired by a brilliant movie about a Syrian refugee on a Scottish island 'Limbo', and by my dear friend Laura and all other friends who moved to a new place, again! Some for the second or third time, and who have to consciously work on finding their home inside.