Keeping an eye out for new magazines, the IZBA Arts team came across Blin Gazeta, which features works of Slavic and Post-Soviet artists. ‘Gazeta’, translated from Russian, means ‘newspaper’, while ‘blin’ is a bit more interesting, meaning both ‘crêpe’ and ‘crap’ (or to be more precise, “Pancake/crepe/blini and minced oath, colloquial, Damnit! or Darn!”).
Last week, I attended Blin Gazeta’s Volume II’s first public event: an exhibition and zine launch at the Outhouse Gallery, curated by Anastasia Leyko. I had previously visited this intimate gallery space while attending Anna Samoylova’s Golden Hour exhibition in November 2025. Around two decades ago, the gallery was a women’s public toilet, a history reflected in both its name and its unusual layout. The contrast between the space’s former and current uses mirrors the exhibition’s theme of duality.
It is truly amazing to see such a small space transform depending on the show. This time, the atmosphere was created by a moody red light by the entrance and two works working with a traditional lace as a leitmotif. One of these pieces was created by Usva Inei, also a participant of IZBA’s Maslenitsa Exhibition. Usva’s piece ‘Night and Day’ is a good example of how traditional lace can be repurposed with the printmaking technique and of the artist’s practice in general, exploring the political and cultural complexities of their identity through Slavic mythology and traditional patterns.
When entering the main gallery space, visitors are greeted by Alexander Tarasenko’s suspended installation, which is also a wearable piece made out of rope and, by the looks of it, dried chicken heads and feet, used in the ‘I Have Many Times Tried To Become An Insect. But I Was Not Equal Even To That’ public performance near Euston Towers. A naked body trying to disguise itself as an animal visualises the attempt of the outsider to understand and fit into the new society and the reaction of the society to the Other.
Opposite the installation was a collection of stamp-like pieces by Timothy Yufit. ‘In Place’ is “an illustrative mapping project that uncovers displaced headstones scattered across London’s parks and former churchyards”. I personally loved the bright colours and mundane objects being transformed into art. Timothy’s practice revolves around digital documentation of his surroundings, and I have a soft spot for projects like this. The indirect way to speak about displacement with immaculate attention to the city, where Timothy is based at the moment, is so refreshing to see!
Following on, we can see Nata Hamilton’s ‘House is the Body, the Body is my Home’. This work is rooted in Nata’s childhood memories in Hungary, exploring the meaning of home, “how it is felt, remembered, and carried within the body, the land, and across time and space”. This artwork is made of etched glass squares, connected by braided horsehair with red satin ribbons at the ends, suspended from metal hooks nailed into a charred pine beam. Each glass panel forms a patchwork of Nata’s memories of home. I loved how glass also looks like a candy, and the contrast between childish braids with ribbons and a rough hanging system that holds everything together suggests the duality of memories.
On the lawn outside the gallery, the Blin Gazeta’s team set up multiple colourful rugs for guests to experience a performance by ION, a music artist from Kosovo. The set-up with an oriental rug and unique musical instruments already looked majestic but then the performance started. This sound journey, or ‘audial ritual’ in the musician’s words, was very mythical, captivating and medieval (quite literally – the artist uses medieval instruments and techniques, such as plainchants). The mix of a liturgical voice, mixed with prerecorded sounds of thunder and chirping, bells and the sound of instruments responding to the artist’s flowy hands created an idyllic atmosphere in Brunswick Park.
The collection of works selected for Volume II is united by the duality of the experiences explored by artists, which ties in so well with the duality of the magazine itself: a homely pancake and a swear word. The music can be interpreted from two (or more) angles, showing the importance of connection to the spirit: for some in a religious way, for others in a spiritual and magical way, too. We will be looking forward to Blin Gazeta’s next volume and, hopefully, the next launch exhibition!
by Margarita Makhanova, independent curator
