Fashion, Tribalism and the digital creativity of Polina Osipova.
Her creative roots in the Chuvash people of Russia
@polinatammi
In 2021, I discovered Polina Osipova’s instagram account and it fascinated me. Not only did Gucci collaborated with her, but she won the 2021 Cothinkers prize, given for exploring new forms of story telling in contemporary culture through a digital lens with the focus of female and non-binary artist. The exhibition in London showed her roots in the Chuvash people of Russia (she lives in London now) and the reoccurring symbols of her work; eyes, tears, hands, silver coins and the image of the wolf.
It seemed that she has already developed “antennas” that connect us through her, to the Zeitgeist showing us what was unfolding in society and what is to come before we even think of it. She has an inner barometer bringing her own brand of tribalism into fashion, influencing catwalks, and collaborating with famous brands, as her images periodically go viral.
Fashion and tribalism
But who is she, with her delicate beauty and mesmerising gaze and how does she work? She comes from the Chuvash culture, in Russia, a predominately matriarchal society where some woman are encouraged to marry younger men so that they can both nurture and indulge them. Rituals plays a big role in her culture where they keep the society vital and strong.
And how does she work? When she started embroidering, one piece would take her six months then later she could complete a piece in one month and now it takes 4 to 5 days and recently even less than 10 hours non-stop embroidery. She says embroidery turns the brain off, relaxes the mind and then the hands do everything by themselves
Does she have creative blocks? She has no creative blocks and is quotes as saying: “I catch the rhythm by working and creating something every day. There hasn’t been a day during the last year that I haven’t embroidered”
And how does she recharge? By lying down in the grass, outside her grandmothers house. She looks up at the sky, into its vastness and waits for the nature to embrace her and for the earth beneath, to pulse her recharge.
And why embroidery? She was brought up with it, and said that if she had not become an artist and an embroiderer she would have ended up in prison because of some bad influences in her village, or she would have had a very sad life and a boring job. Embroidery, she says, is a highly meditative process, and gives you the energy to reflect on your feelings and the world around you. She grew up surrounded by woman, making embroidery. Strong matriarchal women, who raised her raised on fairy tales, fables and legends. For example she says, there is a tradition, translated as “howling” where a bride is crying and singing a sad song about leaving her parents home, her friends, family and her freedom to marry her husband. It it from this that she created her crystal tears embroidery, a modern interpretation of loss and the separation from family.
What was it like being commissioned by Gucci? It was a dream come true.
“Today, traditional crafts are going through a resurgence. The rise of sustainable design means that people are more interested in the skills, materials, and history which come with the garments they wear. But for this new generation of makers, digital technologies are also an unlikely aide, with photography, moving image, and social media placing their intricate creations within a bigger picture. Osipova’s hand-crafted millinery, jewellery, and clothing are all elements of a visual narrative which reimagines folklore amid a new and wider world” https://www.calvertjournal.com/
@polinatammi
Tribalism, the new fashion
”I’m very honest what I share I try to use my platform to teach people that Russia is not simply a Slavic country, there are more than 180 ethnicities with their own nature, culture, languages and traditions I want to show how different our lives can be even in the same country” — Polina Osipova
We need to feel we belong somewhere, which is vital to our survival and well-being. During the lockdowns of 2020 we may have found that our tribe “moved” or we didn’t feel part of it any longer. Our pre-pandemic tribes could have been “brand communities” who we identified with, as they persuaded us to be part of their pseudo-spiritual lifestyle, touting their humanitarian work while encouraging us to buy trainers and handbags, which they told us will make us feel good. But brands study cults, tribes and group behaviour and cleverly filled the gap which strong family ties, educational institutions and religion once did.
We were dealing with life and death during the pandemic, and the pseudo-spiritual brands lost their appeal. Most of us are wanting to revert to traditions that we knew in childhood, go back to our roots, or find a simpler life. In this context Polina Osipova, is showing us the importance of traditions, their vitality and how they can be translated into modern post- pandemic fashion.
It is no surprise that she was recently awarded the 2021 Cothinkers prize for her journey into digital mythology and how it can expand our story telling. All her motives that she used, create a story about the power of nature and our place within it.
Fashion is like a vortex, and pull us in with its close cousins music art dance video and film. They all come together connecting us in a way that we are not conscious of. Polina Osipova shows us that the past, present, digital, video, photography and analogue constantly coexist.
@polinatammi
Kokoshnik
Her global audience outside Russia, and her witty creations have repeatedly gone viral with her pearl headpieces and silver coin hairdresses endlessly shared and referenced online. Take for example, the traditional Russian head dress, the Kokoshnik which she transformed by embroidering security cameras on the headdress, circling and decorating it with mobile phones. There are eyes that watch and eyes that follow in a blend of surveillance art with wit and humour.
In an article, Anatasilia Fedorova mentions “the passion that Polina has for her family photographs, which she tears and re-assembles into tear-shaped body jewellery and large pieces that look like mediaeval armour, which are covered with fragments of photographs. This refers to the legend of the Volga women as having extraordinary powers. She adds silver coins which she sews into costumes as part of her own hybrid creative world, where crafts blend with technology and history weaves with mystery”
Looking at how she remembers her ancestors, makes me want to look at mine.
@polinatammi
Research references for this article:
https://www.calvertjournal.com/ (the Journal is the world’s leading publication for culture, innovation, photography and travel in the New East: Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia)
https://www.lofficiel.com
https://cothinkers.co