the enforced memory

Following the escalation of the war in Ukraine, the question of Soviet-era monuments once again came to the forefront in Estonia and other former Soviet republics. Governments began removing memorials from public spaces at an accelerated pace. Since 1970, a tank commemorating the capture of Narva by the Red Army had stood on the bank of the Narva River. This video work documents the days immediately before and after the tank’s removal in August 2022, from the artist’s perspective.

Even an hour before the tank was relocated in the early morning of 16 August, it remained surrounded by flowers and candles. The title the enforced memory refers to Maria Kapajeva’s relationship with this Soviet war monument. It is supposed to speak to her personally, to tell her something about her grandparents, yet she does not remember ever bringing flowers there herself. To her, it speaks only of the Russian and Soviet war machine. For decades, Russian propaganda has instilled such patriotic narratives into Russian-speaking communities, leaving little room for alternative stories. Listening to Kapajeva scream at the top of her lungs on the bank of the Narva River, one can hear – despite hours of preparation with a vocal coach – that the scream was physically painful. A few exercises cannot undo the atrophy caused by years of silencing the voice.