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Interiors

Interiors

Digital collage, inkjet print, 3 + 2 AP
35 × 50 cm
2012
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Introduction

The series is composed of a selection of vernacular photographs Maria Kapajeva found on the Internet and digitally manipulated afterwards. The familiarity of the interiors, reminiscent of the flats she grew up in or visited in post-Soviet territories, captured Kapajeva’s attention. Yet, at the same time, the poses in which women were photographed were influenced by another culture – Western mass media’s portrayal of female sexuality, which hugely influenced the stereotypes of how women should be represented by the male gaze in post-Soviet territories starting from the 1990s. This series marked one of Kapajeva’s initial explorations into the visual collision or coexistence of post-Soviet and Western cultures, with a focus on women’s representation.

About the artist

Maria Kapajeva (she/her, b. 1976) is an artist whose practice explores questions of identity and gender, often focusing on people in states of transition. She works with found and vernacular photographic images, video installations, textile and embroidery, and participatory practices. Working between the UK and Estonia, she exhibits her work internationally. Kapajeva has received numerous awards, including the Estonian Cultural Endowment’s Annual Award (2025), the Eduard Wiiralt Scholarship (2023) and the Kraszna-Krausz Photo Book Award (2021).
Kapajeva’s works are held in several collections, including the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art and the Tartu Art Museum. She is currently pursuing a practice-based PhD at the Estonian Academy of Arts and works as a project manager for Fast Forward: Women in Photography at UCA, UK.

More works by this artist

Digital collage, inkjet print, 3+2AP, 50 × 35 cm, 2012
Digital collage, inkjet print, 3 + 2 AP, 35 × 50 cm, 2012

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