During visits to Haiti I was profoundly affected by voodoo rites and symbolism that recalled my Siberian grandmother’s stories of shamans, spirituality, and symbolic magic. The works that I call "Shaman Coats" are really a dual artistic product, where the act of stitching, binding, braiding, painting, and piercing is as important as the resulting artwork. As the “real” shaman takes risks and uses shock, surprise, and dramatic provocations to establish bonds with others, so I also try to take risks with my art. I take advantage of accidents, that is, chance interactions of materials that emerge when “unwatched”. Although I sometimes feel myself in an ecstatic altered state when creating, my artwork is simply artwork, and is not intended to be in any way magical . I made most of the “coats” one-sided so they could not be worn. They are art objects rather than costumes. Although the symbols I have used on the coats are from many different shamanic traditions, I choose not to explain them in detail; rather, prefer to invite personal interpretation and involvement in the viewer...