The Sun Through Trees

The video was created from fragments of footage that the artist found on her mobile phone. These are videos taken by Zhanna Gladko in 2020 during the Freedom March protest on 16 August in Minsk, as well as videos taken during the group trip with the artists to the art plein air in autumn 2020 at the Kaptaruny farm. The artist used fragments of scrappy video footage, as well as random footage taken when she forgot to turn off her phone. The video is shown through the screen of the artist’s broken mobile phone. This video is a reference to the events in Belarus, mass protests and arrests, as well as a prism of Zhanna Gladko’s personal view of the events.

The 2020 revolution in Belarus is characterised by modern communication technologies, a large number of video and photographic evidence of the lawless actions of the authorities, which appeared on the Internet thanks to the spread of information by professional photographers on social networks, as well as numerous amateur videos of peaceful citizens. The protests continue despite obstacles and a ban on filming and protesting, mass arrests, confiscation of mobile phones and other equipment, and constant wiretapping and monitoring of personal correspondence by the security services. In Belarus, any photo or video can be grounds for arrest, imprisonment or torture. Another issue that concerns the artist is the symbolism of protest. A special feature of the Minsk marches was the small but significant appearance of flags of the LGBTQ+ community alongside the national symbol–the white-red-white flag, which is currently banned in Belarus.

video: Zhanna Gladko

music: Gareth Davis

The piece is part of Echoes–Voices from Belarus