Invisible Suitcase
Invisible Suitcase reflects on migration and what is carried beyond objects. Constructed from wire, it contains documents that serve as an archive of movement and identity, from a birth certificate to the papers that enabled settlement in Australia.Invisible Suitcase is a sculptural project that functions as an identity archive, composed of documents from each country of citizenship.
This project reflects my journey as an emigrant who has lived across multiple countries. It reveals a map of my identity shifts, influenced by geography and shaped through constant evolution. Beginning with a birth certificate from the USSR and crossing the ocean to become an Australian citizen, the journey has never been about arriving it is in constant negotiation with becoming.
Built from wire, it signifies an identity that cannot fully belong to one place, yet cannot fully detach from another. Its transparency represents a space of belonging nowhere, always in transition.
The wires hold the paths walked, the boundaries crossed, and the fragile identity that must constantly adapt, bend, and remain strong in moments of settlement.
The Invisible Suitcase invites the viewer to hold space for the changes that come with emigration- friends left behind, family and memories, languages that remain unspoken, and hugs never given. At the same time, it reminds us of the impact on our individual selves and our nervous systems, inviting us to recognise the fragility within us, often overlooked when strength and resilience are required to move forward.
The suitcase is placed on moving wheels, symbolising the idea of always moving forward. Despite carrying fragile parts and delicate wires, it maintains a stable ground, continually redefining their place as it progresses.