In Russian, the expression obshchee mesto means “commonplace”: a universally known truth or an overused, hackneyed expression. Read literally, however, it suggests a “common place”—a shared space equally accessible to everyone, regardless of social background or other distinctions. The title Common Ground draws on this second meaning, while retaining the tension between the two in the original Russian. This play on meanings offers a way of engaging with the installation.

The openings through which the viewer sees the fragmented landscape have the standard aspect ratios of various photographic formats. In a sense, photography itself is also a commonplace: a familiar, banal medium in which it is difficult to see anything new. A cliché.

Common Ground is a landscape that exists for everyone, yet is never available entirely. By directing the gaze towards a single fragment, the viewer inevitably excludes the others, creating their own version of a shared space.