Alina Chaiderov

Ciaccia Levi is pleased to present St. Panteleimon, Alina Chaiderov's fifth solo show with the Gallery. The exhibition features new photographs alongside a few objects: a barometer and an icon of St. Panteleimon, both of which hold personal significance for the artist.

In Chaiderov's work, the relationship between photography and sculpture is central to her exploration of memory, materiality, and bodily presence. With this new body of work, the artist continues to blur the boundaries between these two mediums, treating photography as an extension of the sculptural process.

The works, often referencing the artist's own biography, invite viewers to engage spatially, experiencing them as nearly living presences that resonate with memory and personal narrative. By printing her photographs in large formats, Chaiderov achieves what she calls "sculptural photography," creating a physical presence. This monumental scale allows the viewer to encounter the photographed subjects not as distant images, but as immersive, almost tactile surfaces. For the artist, there is a desire to create works that capture the complexity of human experience, where memory and materiality intersect, and where presence and absence coexist.

Finally, the barometer and the icon of St. Panteleimon are objects of personal significance from the artist's childhood home, serving as tools for navigating uncertainty. They connect her past with her present, creating a dialogue between physical objects and ephemeral images. The icon directly engages with themes of healing and transcendence. St. Panteleimon, the patron saint of healers, holds an intimate connection to the artist's own experiences with loss and grief. It is not merely a religious artifact, but a deeply symbolic object, evoking care, memory, and transformation. The barometer symbolizes emotional shifts, both personal and collective. For the artist, it represents emotional sensitivity, the ability to sense the mood or atmosphere around her.