Roundabouts Now is pleased to present “Quieter than Water, Lower than Grass,” a solo presentation of new work by Viktorsha Uliyanova. Recently commissioned by NYSCA and Arts Mid-Hudson, in this new body of work Uliyanova examines the fragility of memory and its impact on history, immigrant narratives, and cultural identity. The work uses  analog photographic processes, fabric, and video to explore remembrance, storytelling, and ancestral healing. Sourcing from family albums, oral histories, and archives, she utilizes materials and techniques that reference matrilineage, domesticity, and transgenerational trauma.The show takes its name from a Soviet idiom that instills a behavior of  keeping a low profile, avoiding self-attention, and acting in a way that does not generate conflict. The phrase has been used as a deliberate linguistic tool to disseminate imperialist ideologies, generate fear, and maintain repressive socio-political tactics in the USSR. Through layering of fabrics and the deep blue hues of the cyanotype process, the work visualizes histories that have been hidden, obscured, and lost. “Quieter than Water, Lower than Grass” emphasizes the importance of community knowledge and critical engagement with dominant narratives in order to recognize their limitations and biases.

Viktorsha Uliyanova is a multidisciplinary artist and educator working with alternative photography, installation, video, and fiber art. Her work explores impermanence, the notions of home,and cultural identity narrated through the prism of memory. Uliyanova’s practice is informed by her upbringing in the Soviet Union, political repression, and the immigrant experience. In her research, Uliyanova explores neglected and overlooked histories, often using archives as a catalyst for her work. She received her BA in English Literature, Language, and Criticism from Hunter College and an MFA in Photography and Related Media at State University of New York at New Paltz. 

Her work has been exhibited at Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, Baxter St., MOMA PS1, Participant Inc, Collarworks, among others. She is the recipient of  New York State Council on the Arts Grant, Arts Mid-Hudson Culture Grant,  Traverso Photography Award, Women’s Studio Workshop SAI Grant, Sojourner Truth Diversity Fellowship, and Research for Creative Projects Grant. Recently, Uliyanova completed a residency at Vermont Studio Center. She lives in the Hudson Valley and teaches photography at SUNY New Paltz.