Portals

Portals — A visual technology for the subconscious
by Daria Usova 2022-2025

Portals is a metaphysical series where each image functions not as a surface, but as a doorway — into memory, inner states, and future potential.
 
Created from thousands of fragments of glossy magazines, these works are part of a conscious recycling practice. By giving new life to cultural remnants, Usova draws attention to the cycle of matter and mind — where forests become paper, and thoughts shape reality.
 
Influenced by Immanuel Kant, Carl Jung, and New Age cosmology, the series explores the connection between the visible and the invisible. Jungian archetypes and Kant’s idea of the noumenal world inspire a vision where images speak directly to the subconscious, bypassing logic to activate inner transformation.
 
At the heart of the work is a belief in mental ecology: that pure, intentional thought leads to more conscious behavior — toward oneself, others, and the planet. Water, forests, and the ocean are recurring motifs — symbols of purification, flow, and the collective mind.
 
These portals are not to be read, but felt.
They are thresholds — to the subconscious, to the Earth,
to the future we’re ready to enter.

Each of the 20 portals (200 × 130 cm) is part of a larger immersive project that includes Augmented Reality experiences and video collages, offering expanded layers of meaning and interaction.