Experiencing Interruptions?

Mother Tongue

The work "Mother Tongue" combines shots from "Dancing Nature" filmed by Konshtik at various sites throughout of Israel, family shots (celebrating her mother’s 70th), scenes from ‘Swan Lake’, and a scene from a 1950’s Russian animation film ‘The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights’ by Pushkin.
This work presents the longing of human-beings to reach the sky, to look a bird-like, to go back to their roots, and to disappear in the Mother Nature. Through dissolve shots it shows the split and combination of different cultures that can exist as equal.
Here for a moment, you can see a portrait of Konshtik emerging from the chaos of images, wearing a traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt and looking straight at the viewer with confidence. In 4 compressed minutes, Konshtik expresses a cultural split that may have previously undermined and led to the failure, but gradually merged and became a source of pride and self-confidence.

  • Daria Konshtik
    Director
  • Project Type:
    Other
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 24 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 9, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    Israel
  • Country of Filming:
    Israel
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Daria Konshtik

Daria Konshtik was born in Makeyevka, Ukraine in 1985 (former USSR). In 1995 she immigrated to Israel, currently lives and works in Tel Aviv. Konshtik graduated the Art Department at ‘Minshar School of Art’ in 2017, and ‘Camera Obscura School of Art’ in 2021, studying Editing and Postproduction. Konshtik is a member of the Israeli Professional Visual Artists Association. She is a multidisciplinary artist who works with various media including painting, drawing, photography, and video-art. Since graduating from ‘Minshar’, Konshtik has exhibited her works at CICA Museum, Gimpo, Korea (2022), Lotan Gallery, Old Jaffa, Israel (S) (2022), GINA Gallery of International Naïve Art, Tel Aviv, Israel (2021), Hanina Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel (2021), Millepiani, Rome, Italy (2021), Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem, Israel (2020); ZEST Hall, Virtual Exhibition, in partnership with Leeds City Museum, UK (2020); N.D. Gallery, Ramat Gan, Israel (Duo Exhibition) (2020); The Prince Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel (2019); Artspace Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel (2018); The Red House Art Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel (2018).

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Director Statement

Daria Konshtik derives inspiration from fairy tales, myths and legends, “framing” her works
with painted decorative ornaments, stylized with bold and vivid colours. Her imaginary and
at times naïve works are composed of symbols and signs, depicting Russian folk tales, Greek
mythology and Jewish ceremonies on canvas surface and a screen.
By recreating the traditional Russian doll – Matryoshka – serving as the artist’s alter ego for
examining her identity as an immigrant, – Konshtik deals with questions regarding the
influence and convergence of Russian and Ukrainian cultures in the realm of Israeli
discourse. Using a vibrant palette of colours that characterizes traditional Slavic costumes,
Konshtik interweaving them with Middle Eastern motifs, such as olive and palm trees.
Traditional symbols, folklore, and cultural customs in Konshtik works are characterized as
psychological constructs at the boundary of the conscious and unconscious, between the
personal and the collective.