Happy House (2024)

On seven bricks, seven videos are projected, each video depicting a house chore that symbolizes the hidden struggles of women in Kazakhstan.


Each video subtly incorporates a red element, evoking the lingering influence of the Soviet past. The bricks used in the installation mimic Soviet-era apartment buildings, symbolizing the forced disruption of Kazakh traditional communal structures, leaving women more vulnerable to domestic violence. The installation uses the everyday house chores to reveal how violence has become a routine part of life for many Kazakh women.


Through Happy House, I explore how everyday routines can mask deeper issues of oppression and control. The red elements in the videos serve as a reminder of the historical and emotional scars left by Russian colonization, which continue to shape our lives. The bricks are not just building materials but metaphors for the structures of power and control. By bringing these stories to the forefront, I hope to shed light on the interconnected complexities of identity, history, and social issues in post-Soviet Central Asia.