Artist Statement
Ustiantseva Alina (1996) was born in Melitopol, lives in Moscow.
Student of the Moscow School of Contemporary Art MSCA.

In my practice I explore the fragility of systems that shape everyday reality. I am interested in structures that promise stability and protection - social attitudes, functions of objects and materials themselves. In my works I observe the moment when these constructions begin to crack.

In my work, I ask questions about the boundaries of protection, the influence of language on our behavior, and the reality of the stability we rely on.
The works do not offer solutions. Instead, they keep the viewer in a state of uncertainty, between form and its destruction, function and its loss, and certainty and doubt. In this space, the fragility of systems that are often taken for granted becomes visible.
"Today, tomorrow, or in a year?"
Unbaked clay, water, time
47x27×27 cm, 2026
A vessel made of unbaked clay is filled with water.
The material has not been fired and remains vulnerable to moisture. The water gradually erodes the walls. Over time, the vessel loses its integrity: water comes out and continues to destroy the shape.

The object refers to the state of anxiety and tension that have become the background of everyday life.
This feeling of constant alertness is the need to listen and check if the world has given way. Living in uncertainty about tomorrow. Expect disaster as a possible scenario.

The title captures the question of time: when exactly will the turning point occur - now, tomorrow, or a year from now?
The work does not offer a solution. Instead, it keeps the viewer within the process, in a state of fragility where stability is no longer guaranteed.

Смотреть видеодокументацию
"Function Release"
Found object
90x65x40, 2026
With this work, I wanted to free the object from its function and form.
A person gives an object a function, gives it a name, and decides what its form will be.
But what if the object doesn't want to be what others see it as, what if it wants to dance?
Oasis.v.2.347986
Video, 2.44 min.
The project presents a modern oasis as a technological dystopia.
The central deity is a Wi-Fi router. It is integrated into the biological structure of nature. The root system of plants is connected to cables, flowers become plastic, and cameras sprout from trees.

This is how a new form of life is born
- organic matter grown not by soil, but by network signals.
The work raises questions about the role of humans: are they the masters of the garden, or are they becoming part of its operating system.

Watch the video
Смотреть видео

The "Inheritance". Photo Project
A series of 7 photos. 2026
Photos of a tea set that belonged to my grandmother, and before that to her mother.
My grandmother often said that she would have loved to leave us something to remember her by. Something substantial. A house, jewelry, or something similar.

She could not have imagined that I would have great reverence and love for the very ordinary things that I keep after her death.
A service; cutlery; a painting that her father painted; books signed by her sister or her mother, postcards.

I wanted to give them a second life there and move everyday things into the category of art objects.
"Non-returnable folders"
File folders, watercolor paper, liquid ink, paper clip
26x33 cm each folder, 2025
The work uses classic folders for collecting personal data about a person, as well as metaphorical passport portraits of people drawn with liquid ink.

Since ink is highly resistant to light and water, it was used to write laws in ancient Rome. Until recently, it was also used to fill out important documents such as passports, military IDs, and others.
Thus, I am reflecting on personal boundaries and their protection by the law.

Does it protect us all the time, or does it only work up to a certain limit? Is the law really an armor, or could it crumble at any moment? Is the feeling of security just an illusion?
The "Borders of Personality" series
5 A4-sized works. Ink, watercolor paper
6 A3-sized works. Ink, paper.
3 collages. Paper, magazine clippings. 2025
The "Borders of the Individual" series is a reflection on human boundaries. The question of their reality and sustainability in the modern world is particularly acute.

In an era of pervasive digitalization and rapid technological advancements, traditional notions of individuality, privacy, and security are being challenged, revealing a new form of vulnerability.

Personal data is becoming a commodity, and information flows are infiltrating the most intimate aspects of our lives, making us potentially exposed and vulnerable to invisible threats.
Series "Don't know how - don't take it"
Painting (oil on canvas), sculpture, carpet, collages.
2024 - 2025.
In this series, I reflect on the influence of phrases that literally stitched the childhood of several generations. Despite the fact that these phrases were often not taken seriously, it may turn out that many continue to live according to the script embedded in them.

Tights in this series are a metaphor for prickly, uncomfortable, but at the same time "mandatory" phrases of attitudes.

In psychology, there is a technique when you get rid of attitudes by questioning them and finding a refutation for them. Literally laugh at them, destroying the seriousness of the perception of these words.
I suggest that you observe the characters in the paintings and ask yourself which phrases you still believe in.
"Behind the Closed Door" series
Painting. Canvas, acrylic 2023
The "Child of Alcohol" series was an art therapy. It depicts the artist's childhood memories, when her parents were suffering from alcohol addiction. Unfortunately, alcohol is often present in families, but few people consider the impact it has on children.

After publishing these paintings, I received a significant response and support. It was astonishing how many people faced the same issue. For some, it was their first time discussing it.
It is important for me to support those who have gone through something similar and to say that it is not a shame to talk about it, but rather very important!

After all, our pains and fears do not just go away, but remain in our memory. If they are ignored, they begin to "scream" through illnesses. Recognizing and facing our fears is the first step towards healing.
The "Feelings" series
Painting (canvas, acrylic, textured masta)
2022 - 2023
"Energy in motion." In this series of works, Alina explores the very essence of the energy that permeates the world. Created in a state of flux, each painting is a visualization of this dynamic force. Each stroke here is an impulse born in the flow, which freezes in a unique form.

The light seems to "light up" the painting from the inside, attracting the eye and inviting to explore the versatility and vividness of the moment.
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