Katya Muromtseva explores new forms of existence within society’s hierarchical social and cultural systems. Her interest lies at the intersection of scholarly and artistic imagination. She employs social empathy, expressing it through the mediums of painting and sculpture. Encompassing large-scale paintings, videos, and shadow installations, her practice is rooted in historical contradictions. The starting points for most of her works are the interviews she conducts with representatives of various social groups. Based on the exhibition Over the Slopes of Speech at NIKA Project Space, Dubai (February-May 2024), the catalogue includes works inspired by conversations the artist had with immigrants, both in the USA and the UAE. These profoundly personal stories form the basis for her watercolor compositions, which capture the resilience of these women and delve into themes of home, borders, refugees, and human destinies. Muromtseva grounds her practice in storytelling as a means to explore the relationship between personal and collective memory.