Artwork
Destroying factories, orange migrants
Destroying factories, orange migrants is a print by Natalya Pershina-Yakimanskaya. It dates from 2012 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
The work is a printed image taken from the larger collaborative project The Wings of Migrants, which combines dance, video, installation, drawing and print. It depicts a group of construction workers dressed in bright orange safety jackets as they dismantle the remnants of Soviet‑era military‑industrial factories, a visual focus on the physical transformation of industrial sites.
Subject & Meaning
The scene foregrounds migrant laborers from the former Soviet Central Asian republics, a demographic that has become a marginalised workforce in contemporary Russia. By showing them actively tearing down obsolete factories, the image alludes to both the erasure of a Soviet industrial past and the role of these workers in reshaping the urban landscape.
Technique & Style
Executed as a print, the image employs stark contrasts between the vivid orange of the workers’ gear and the muted tones of the crumbling structures. The graphic clarity of the print emphasizes the physicality of demolition while retaining a compositional balance that echoes the project's multidisciplinary origins.
History & Provenance
The print is part of a suite produced for The Wings of Migrants, a multi‑disciplinary collaboration that premiered in the early 2020s. It has been acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it is catalogued among works that explore contemporary social issues through mixed media.
Context
The work engages with post‑Soviet economic shifts, particularly the decline of state‑run heavy industry and the rise of a migrant labor force that fills the gaps left by that decline. It reflects broader discussions in Russian art about displacement, labor exploitation, and the reconfiguration of industrial heritage.
Artist & collection
Artist
Natalya Pershina-Yakimanskaya makes bold, graphic prints with bright colors and sharp lines.
