- Photography
A Vulnerable Place
Marina Merkulova
4 July 2026 14:00
This project explores memory, data, and boundaries — physical, political, technological, and psychological.
The artist collects the coordinates of places and personal memories from people with migration or refugee experiences. These are places they cannot return to.
She locates them and captures screenshots via online street-view services. The main platform is Google Street View. Where Google is unavailable, the artist uses alternative services. When a place is completely inaccessible, the search for information becomes part of the work.
Maps reveal not only space but also political realities. Google Street View is absent in some countries, while in others there are independent street-view platforms, such as Chinese services or Here WeGo. The imagery reflects spheres of influence, economic pressures and armed conflicts. These conditions are beyond the artist's control and become part of the history this work investigates.
The screenshots are printed using cyanotype (one of the earliest photographic printing processes). It adds materiality and a historical connection to cartography, where this process was used to reproduce maps and plans.
The work does not attempt to restore lost places. It investigates the blurring of boundaries. Personal memory passes through open data and digital aberrations, becoming even more vulnerable. The handmade print restores its contour, preventing it from being lost in the stream of digital images.
The project will be presented at the community space of Arts of the Working Class — a Berlin-based cultural platform at the intersection of journalism, literature, visual arts, and political education.
As part of the exhibition, Marina Merkulova will enter into a dialogue with the artist Miguel Angel Espinoza, who will also be presented in the space.
The artist collects the coordinates of places and personal memories from people with migration or refugee experiences. These are places they cannot return to.
She locates them and captures screenshots via online street-view services. The main platform is Google Street View. Where Google is unavailable, the artist uses alternative services. When a place is completely inaccessible, the search for information becomes part of the work.
Maps reveal not only space but also political realities. Google Street View is absent in some countries, while in others there are independent street-view platforms, such as Chinese services or Here WeGo. The imagery reflects spheres of influence, economic pressures and armed conflicts. These conditions are beyond the artist's control and become part of the history this work investigates.
The screenshots are printed using cyanotype (one of the earliest photographic printing processes). It adds materiality and a historical connection to cartography, where this process was used to reproduce maps and plans.
The work does not attempt to restore lost places. It investigates the blurring of boundaries. Personal memory passes through open data and digital aberrations, becoming even more vulnerable. The handmade print restores its contour, preventing it from being lost in the stream of digital images.
The project will be presented at the community space of Arts of the Working Class — a Berlin-based cultural platform at the intersection of journalism, literature, visual arts, and political education.
As part of the exhibition, Marina Merkulova will enter into a dialogue with the artist Miguel Angel Espinoza, who will also be presented in the space.
Biography
Marina Merkulova
Marina Merkulova was born in southern Russia and lives in Berlin. She works in the fields of photography and cultural education. In photography, she is interested in everyday life and vulnerability within different social contexts. She is also a co-founder of the project PLAY! Berlin, which works with children and adolescents with refugee experiences in Berlin, where she develops and leads creative programs. She led a course on visual diaries and archives as part of the KINO project.
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