“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist
“and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood”. Anna Guseva | Visual artist

“And the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became red as blood” (ongoing) 

On February 24, 2022, my homeland started the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. To understand where the roots of such widespread aggression stem from, I delve into the first decade of modern Russian history, which began in 1991 after the collapse of the USSR. This period is known as the “wild nineties.”

In my work, I am guided by my associations. These are fear, threat, destruction, dead end, and the domination of the strong over the weak. I vividly remember hiding in a corner when our doorbell rang or reluctance to step into the communal hallway alone. Crime was everyone’s concern — no one could feel safe either on the street or at home. Gunfights between warring gangs, where anyone could become an accidental victim, or a drug addict stretched out in the stairwell and tripped over by a child returning from school, were part of everyday life.

Many families were affected by hopelessness and poverty — my parents had to share a single sausage at dinner. Soviet enterprises were closing down, and thousands of engineers and scientists were unemployed. To survive, associate professors and doctors of science started selling goods at street markets or became shuttle traders — they travelled to Europe and Turkey to buy some mass market crap and then resell it to their fellow citizens. The labels, though, usually read “Abibas”, not “Adidas.” As a rule, selling spots were divided between various gangs, which provided a “roof, ” i.e. protection. They demanded a payoff for the roof, which sometimes exceeded the profit.

Since the beginning of the war, I have not been in Russia and have been working on the project in France. I cannot give a specific and reasoned answer to the question of what events exactly built up the modern political regime. But I can introduce the viewer to my experience of living in that era and my attitude to it today so that everyone can come to their conclusions.