Untitled, from the Series 'Drip By Drip, We Are Fed With Concrete'

In ‘Drip by drip, we are fed with concrete,’ Anna Sellen explores the psychological effect of censorship and silencing on the lives and the identities of people. In this work the artist draws on her family’s lived experiences in the Soviet Union between 1952 and 1986. Their first-hand narrative accounts unfold through the photographs, poems, sound and diaries, revealing a distinct interpretation of the defining geo-political events of the Cold War era. 

To create this series, the artist burned, defaced and buried in concrete the photos of her family, acting out their agony of constantly living in a state immersed in fear and secrecy. She used concrete and the Cold War bunker as metaphors for the impact of silencing on people. This work is a visually expressive reminder of what we can learn from history, and the consequences of what can happen if we do not.