Stories From Dedushka shows a series of photographs that my grandfather took throughout his life. It is paired with an audio recording of him telling stories to me about each of the photos. He goes on to tell me and my sister how his photography leads him to get enough money for an accordion, how he would play the accordion in at parties and clubs and Ukraine and how that’s where he met my grandmother for the very first time. This artwork is made invite the viewers to be part of this artwork as I look at photos that are windows to my ancestry’s past.

 

Though the audio is in Russian and not everyone will be able to understand the stories, the audio is still essential even without subtitles. I didn’t understand every word and phrase that was said. But the audio isn’t about the meaning of each word, it’s about how storytelling, photographs, and memories are intertwined.