Boys' Room II, 2022

Polina Rukavichkina is a Moscow-based artist whose work explores collective trauma, vulnerability, and identity. In her major project *Melting Armour*, showcased at the ART4 Museum (2024), she uses textile installations and photography to deconstruct “protective shells,” symbolizing the softening of masculine defenses. Her practice, which includes projects such as *Luty* and *Pale Shelters*, blends documentary and fictional narratives to examine emotional and social boundaries. Recognized as a 2022 Leica Oskar Barnack Award nominee, her work continues to challenge the boundaries between the private and public spheres.