galina

[galina]

🧷 hello 👋🏼 I’m @galina — I’m a writer and mark-maker often seen in love with and around south east london 🏹 my work has appeared on houseboats, in smiths magazine, berlin-artparasites magazine, an appointment at the end of the world for home mcr gallery, in you (don’t) deserve to be an artist for 310 nx rd gallery, and on other peoples’ bodies. my art stuff is on @anilag & I’m on instagram as @/essayism

[galina]

Here's to newness !

[galina]

Week off: slow-roasting tomatoes for confit on toast, a pot of green tea, long walks in the forest, sauna, drawing and sketching, a small glass of vodka with my mam the day after I tattooed her ankle, film night, new socks, haircut, dentist, dear friend's birthday dinner scream-laughing, deptford flower market, pharmacy, falling asleep on the sofa reading a book

[galina]

A sea of wild garlic in epping forest, it was so quiet and the light was perfect, broke up our walk with a pile of oysters at the shack

[galina]

Trying a new spot – I had black coffee, J had freeze-distilled milk, something I had only heard about from barista chats. It was very sweet and cerealy, not really like anything I've had before, very fun for a treat ☕️🤍

[galina]

Over the last two years sauna has really become a go-to place for me, I like going socially, but even more alone to meditate and decompress. A perfect early sunset last week with no one else around

[galina]

Possibly the most irresistibly gorgeous bunch of flowers I have ever received, from L who arranged them herself, collecting sandwiches to-go

[galina]

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had the most gorgeous long weekend – a leaving picnic organised by my dearest work pal da in regent's park, strawberries and bread and humous and dates and cake and endless goodness, my friend ad brought cocktails he made in old wine bottles and bags and bags of ice, we stayed until the sun set and everything turned lilac, we ended up in the same old pub we always do and my heart broke knowing this is the end of something.

the morning after I made myself coffee on the stove surrounded by flowers and cards, I wrote goodbye emails, then I tried to get out of my head by walking in the park over the barrows, I walked and walked until I reached the market where I saw my friend ly and she had arranged a huge bouquet of white tulips and lilac candle larkspurs in a beautiful paper wrap. we picked up sandwiches from the trendy spot and then with j we headed to our local where the spring parade was in full swing, people dancing in the alley and waving flowers. jem brought my a bouquet of red tulips and hyacinths which I cradled in my arms until a kind stranger gave me a pint glass of water for them. after the parade a huge wooden table and chairs were brought into the street where fiddle players sat around playing folk music under the string lights. we stayed until close and then we went and got chips, all my flowers under the bright lights of the chip shop was kind of beautiful

when I woke up j had made coffee for me in bed, then we walked over to telegraph hill with our friends, m had brought me a bunch of yellow roses which I carried in one arm. we stopped at an stall outside a house on a leafy street, collectively we bought books and trinkets. we landed at the pub where our friends were having their first day in the kitchen making sandwiches, everyone had one, we were greasy and sunned and full of bread and happiness. when the weather turned me and j walked home and had a cosy movie night

I don't even know why I'm diarising all this but to say it was lovely and I wish I could remember every detail, the way someone's eyes were when they smiled, the way light touched tables and glasses and made everyone shining, the way I felt when I fell into bed with nothing left in the tank but feeling full. things end but things also come alive again in the spring, it's been a perfect way to enter this new phase

[galina]

I love you cobble curb seat, I love you folk fiddle troop sat on chairs around a table in the street, I love you tulips in a pint glass, I love you leaf clipped in my hair, I love you rolling paper friendship, I love you string light glow, love you free pint, I love you staying until close

[galina]

the fowlers troop jack in the green parade came through welcoming in another may! in in the late afternoon, the jack is ceremonially slain, the foliage and flowers torn off and thrown to the crowd, everyone dancing and waving their flowers. I had one arm cradling a huge bouquet of tulips and hyacinths & one arm intertwined with my friends

[galina]

something ending is always strange; to try and get out of my body I went to the park and sat on the hill just listening to the birds. Two sweet magpies hopped curiously around me, a sign of joy

[galina]

I quit and every one I saw for five days gave me flowers. our apartment is a garden 💐

[galina]

there is only this

[galina]

galina, the way you capture moments. thank you for sharing them with us.

aw, thank you for sending such a lovely message! and for being here 🤍

[galina]

You seem to have a lot of skills and experiences, what do you do for work if I may ask?

this question made me laugh mainly because I feel unskilled and inexperienced so much of the time! my “day job” is a multi-media role at a non profit :) which is a silly worky way of saying I’m a videographer, photographer, designer & copywriter for web.

I am also an organiser at a poetry cic that works with charities (schools, theatres, food banks, shelters, &c) to bring poetry to places it isn’t usually found. that’s the stuff I mostly share.

& I’m a tattooist! and do some art worky bits around all that. creative careers are a bit wiggly like that sometimes x

[galina]

Gorgeous humans making wonderful drawings and poems during my latest drawing and poetry workshop at the gallery! Wow! I am so lucky to get to do this

[galina]

Some fun Gareth McConnell art at the wine bar