Mala Gallery of the Mystetskyi Arsenal. Kyiv, Ukraine, 2023

Curatorial group: Natasha Chychasova, Andrii Myroshnychenko, Anastasia Garazd

Partners: Art Arsenal Community NGO as part of the project supported by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy to Ukraine

Within the framework of the exhibition, authors Viktoriia Rozentsveih and Asya Garmash reflect on the state of waiting that connects their creative practices. The state when time slows down and each of us feels it permanently. This was restless anticipation of a full-scale war, the probability of which was challenging for many to grasp. However, now, in retrospect, it seemed inevitable. These are the viscous and gummy circumstances of searching your art subjects and struggling to comprehend what your artistic practice is. These are unbearable moments when you are waiting for news from the family after the official reports of shelling, waiting for photos of the consequences of the air strikes, to see what survived and what was destroyed by the Russians. It is uncertain and full of bitter hope expectation of the de-occupation of Nova Kakhovka and all of Ukraine.

After February 24 of last year, Viktoriia focused on the depiction of the Kherson region in the war and occupation chronicles from the words of her relatives, but again, mostly recording the tragic changes in the body of the city. Asya, in turn, admits that for a long time, she has been romanticising the aesthetics of Soviet architecture in a way. February 24 provoked a complete reassessment of her practice, and from the summer of 2022, she began to create works, diving deep within herself and working with images of rootedness, time, and what disappears.

Another important aspect of the exhibition is involving small home-made publications compiled by authors, so-called zines. These self-printed and stitched books are something distinctly material and very intimate. They are something you can put in your pocket when going out, lend to a friend, or leave in your favourite coffee shop. They are handed over spontaneously, avoid the usual distribution schemes, and often find their readers randomly. Viktoriia notes that in recent years there have been a lot of zines in her life - both others' and her own as well as her participation in various collective zines. Such a trend seems to be quite crucial for the Ukrainian alternative book culture and the networking between hermetic creative communities.

Exhibition participants: Viktoriia Rosentsveih, Asya Harmash.