The Mourner
2025
â–¸ go to photographs
description
Project, part of the group exhibition following the MAXART residency, Perm. A series of photographs and X-ray images.
Mourners are women who, either professionally or by tradition, took part in funeral rituals, helping to express grief and support the community during times of loss. Their role was especially important in societies where emotional expression was strictly regulated, and where collective mourning fostered social connection and healing. These women served as mediators between personal and communal grief, symbolically expressing not only individual pain but also the shared emotional burden of tragic events.
In this project, the artist takes on the role of the mourner, exploring the practices of grief. Empathizing with stories she was told, watching the news, or reflecting on her own life, she cried into a pillow, releasing her emotions. She then documented the traces of tears through photography, creating a visual metaphor for the experience of pain. For Liza, it was also important to create a safe space where emotions could be fully experienced—where they could become visible and accepted. This is why the pillow, a deeply personal object close to the body—soft, warm, and a place to hide—takes center stage in the exhibition.
The story continues with X-ray images of flowers. Flowers, a universal symbol of mourning, often accompany us through moments of grief and farewells.