©Natalia Kondratenko

For the next few days, we are continuing to look at the work of artists who submitted projects to our most recent call-for-submission. Today, we have On the other side by Natalia Kondratenko.

Natalia is a visual artist working with photography, painting, video, performance and installations. Often she uses mockumentary self-portraits in her projects. Originally hailing from the Moscow region of (Russia), she is currently based in Tallinn, Estonia. She received her art education at the Rodchenko Art School, Moscow. Natalia’s been working as an artist from 2017. She has had solo exhibition in Rae Cultural Centre, Estonia (2022). Natalia was selected and worked on her project in The Copper Leg Residency (Autumn/Winter 2021). She was also selected as a finalist of Head On Portrait Awards 2022 (Australia), winner of The Feature Shoot Emerging Photography Awards (2024) and her first dummy was shortlisted for 9th SIPF 2024 Photobook Awards (Singapore).

Follow Natalia on Instagram: @tressfallartist

©Natalia Kondratenko

On the other side

We are all creatures born in nature and are a part of it. With other words – we are animals. We have instincts. On one hand biochemical reactions and processes in our bodies influence our emotions and behavior.

On the other hand, we are born into society with its norms, traditions, and laws. we are trained.

Both of these aspects live within me as well. They often oppose each other. My wild side resists and rebels, while my trained side fears and tries to get rid of it.

The fear of our animal, untamed part is not something I see only in myself. I see it in every manifestation of our human activity. We have paved the earth with asphalt, barricaded ourselves with concrete and plastic. We fight against nature, both external and internal.

The consequences of this struggle frighten me. Therefore, I try to answer the question for myself: is there any possibility to choose another path , a path of harmonious coexistence?

I’m trying to find it through my own experience, fictional characters, and mythology.

My projects are related to the duality of our world through personal perception. Often, I work with mediums such as photography and painting. It is also important for me that in my projects, I work with self-portraiture, turning the process into documenting imagined rituals and events.

©Natalia Kondratenko

Daniel George: How did On the Other Side begin?

Natalia Kondratenko: I started working on this project at the end of 2023 out of an inner need to express things that deeply concerned me—but not through words. At that moment, I felt a strong desire for freedom of expression, yet I couldn’t find it in the real world. It seemed that any words or text either failed to fully convey my thoughts or carried the risk of being manipulative, misinterpreted, or even dangerous. So, I turned to my subconscious—something that cannot be interpreted directly, not even by myself. Each still life in this series was created in complete silence, following meditation. This was my way of disconnecting from conscious thought during the process. I wanted to bring to the surface everything that had built up inside me—all that I hadn’t been able to put into words.

©Natalia Kondratenko

DG: You mention that your projects, in general, are “related to the duality of our world through personal perception.” What brought about this interest?

NK: I always try to examine all sides of an event, phenomenon, or anything that exists in our world from different perspectives. I understand that my perception is highly limited by my personal “lens”—my knowledge, emotions, and life experience—but at the same time, other facets may exist. It is important for me to learn about other people’s experiences, hear their opinions, and accept the fact that they may be radically different from my own. I strive to recognize that all perception is subjective and that everything has a “reverse side.” In this sense, photography is my favorite medium. On one hand, it inherently carries the idea of documentation, yet at the same time, it is one of the most manipulative tools in our world.

©Natalia Kondratenko

DG: When I look at these photos, my first impression is that of a stylized, fictional landscape. I think about them in the context of what you mention in your artist statement—that your “wild side resists and rebels” against “norms, traditions, and laws.” In a way, these also feel wild and rebellious. Would you speak more to the idea of these images and their representation of your perception or imagination?

NK: As I mentioned earlier, this project began from a need for free expression. Here, I turn to surrealist practices, working with the subconscious and still life compositions. To me, imagination is the only thing left that remains truly free. I observe a frightening trend toward totalitarianism and restrictions on freedom worldwide, which affects not only external realities but also internal ones. Social pressure and ongoing crises attempt to “discipline” even our inner world—to make people afraid to speak differently, afraid to think differently. That is why many of my projects, including On the Other Side, focus on reclaiming that rebellious part of ourselves.

©Natalia Kondratenko

DG: In your artist statement, you also write that you are attempting to find a “harmonious coexistence” through your own “experience, fictional characters, and mythology.” How does your creative practice play a role in your exploration of these things?

NK: I love the idea that artists tell the truth through lies. For me, creating characters and mythology is a way to speak about the real world, but in a more liberated way. In this sense, I find inspiration in ancient rituals and ceremonies, which were also designed to help people process trauma and make sense of the inexplicable—not through direct explanation, but through emotional experience. I try to recreate this in my projects—to become a participant in a personal ritual or performance, one that is entirely fictional but still deeply engaged with reality.

©Natalia Kondratenko

DG: Would you mind sharing a little about your process? In what ways did your background in painting, performance, and/or installation play a role in this project?

NK: I believe that my experiments in all these fields have shaped my artistic practice as a whole. It is important for me not to limit myself to a single medium, which is why I try to combine them in my work. In this project, I used my paintings as backgrounds and experimented with building installations from personal belongings and found objects. At the same time, I would say that the process of constructing each still life was a kind of performance itself. I deliberately avoided planning compositions in advance, instead working in a state of flow.

©Natalia Kondratenko

©Natalia Kondratenko

©Natalia Kondratenko