Anastasia Troshkova

I have one impossible desire: I want to know the truth and not be deceived. Over the past years, amidst war, propaganda, and counter-propaganda, this once-naive wish has turned into a compulsion. In this project, I attempt to show my way of existing within the constant flow of external narratives, interpretations, and violence, to show my way of surviving an informational war within the spectacle of politics.

The installation consists of 24 enlarged analogue prints, originally fragments of a single photo taken during a protest in Russia, accompanied by one 16mm video and text animation. The video combines recently captured scenes with digitally manipulated found footage and personal archives, openly constructing and deconstructing meaning simultaneously. The work borrows the typically objective and assertive language of documentary and testimony while subtly undermining the viewer’s trust in what is being shown.

How to Choose a Side of the Circle — the circle of narratives, violence and othering — takes shape through slowness: through analogue filming, darkroom printing, and editing. It resists the urge to create and understand quickly. Instead, it functions as a meeting point between author and the viewer. It invites and returns to question the act of seeing itself. How do we choose? What do we believe? And what does it cost to take a position?

installation, 16mm video, 24 analogue prints, text animation