ART EXHIBITION

This installation features a life-sized model of the X-55 missile.

Those are the missiles hitting the Ukrainian land now. It looks enormous and intimidating. It conveys threat. Though with the power of every voice raised to confront it, it is possible to strip it of its evil power. The installation is deliberately made to look not real, fake to underline the idea of dealing with lies that Russian propaganda poured all over. Ukrainians nicknamed this missile ‘Bliedina’ just to mock it. It can be roughly translated as ‘filthy and unpleasant bitch’. It was coined in Kharkiv in March 2022 as a way to cope with danger and fear, because obviously, words are a strong weapon too. Shout and scream at it, don’t be embarrassed to raise your voice and see what happens. Today, speaking the truth to the world is our weapon.

‘Bliedina‘ (2022) Volodymyr Kolbasa, Vartan Markarian, Vadym Makhitka

Palianytsia

"Palianytsia" (2022) Volodymyr Kolbasa, Vartan Markarian, Vadym Makhitka Mixed media The land of Ukraine known for centuries as a “Breadbasket of Europe” has become the most mined place on Earth. This installation made of soil, parts of the real harvester destroyed by war and bread is a tribute to Ukrainian farmers and the sacrifices they are making to harvest crops these days. The traditional Ukrainian bread called ‘Palianytsia’ roughly fits the size of an anti-tank land mine, millions of which are now planted in Ukrainian soil. Also ‘Palianytsia’ is a word people from Russia find really hard to pronounce and it has become a meme with symbolic meaning in Ukraine. We map the image of that mine type right on the bread to show the struggle it needs to go through to reach our tables. You can wave your hand over it and make it a peacetime bread again.