A woman stands in the middle of a visum album grove, known more commonly today as mistletoe. The grove stretches out behind her, the luscious green following in the distance. Mistletoe has obtained a prominent role in various culture’s mythology, from representing divine male essence, protecting households, and the more commonly known practice of having to kiss another if caught beneath it. As a plant, mistletoe is a hemiparasite, meaning it draws water and nutrients from the trees it grows on. What could Elen Bezhen be showing in her Viscum Album? Her feminine figure stands solidly in the front, at once inside and outside the scene. She almost glares out at the viewer in quiet defiance. Perhaps she is tired of the expectations of her cage of viscum album; that she must love and kiss. Or perhaps she is tired of a world that can grow on you without permission, taking so much and giving so little. Elen Bizhen’s figure stands as a challenge to this idea. She accepts that a part of her will always be one of this world, but she is determined to stand outside of it, away from the expectations brought on by others and instead stepping into her own.