Diana Ruban is a young self-taught Ukrainian artist from Kremenchuk. Mystkina investigates the influence of childhood memories and iconic moments on forming psycho-emotional states, desires, and aspirations that will guide people in the future.
Behind Blue Eyes is a charitable photo project of volunteers from the Chernihiv region, in which children from de-occupied villages of Ukraine document their lives on film donated by disposable cameras. This is, first of all, a digital story that allows getting acquainted with the personalized worldview of each child to see and hear it.
According to the organizers' idea, combining these two separate projects lies in the experimental plane. Diana's works represent a child's perception of the world - unique, free, curious - and encourage reflection on one's childhood. A notable element in the title of each work is the question the artist poses to the viewer. "Do you remember the day you ran barefoot through puddles?" or "What traditions from your childhood do you continue to preserve and pass on to your descendants?". In addition, there are free lines from the hand of the artist's son on the canvases, which adds a sense of simplicity and ease outside of the profound context.
Children's photos of the Behind Blue Eyes project are also a space for releasing your desire to document whatever and whenever you want. The organizers successfully supplemented the exhibition's general concept with interaction elements: paint on the walls - no problem, ride a wheel - of course!
The exhibition project "Childhood," touching and nostalgic in one way or another, raises complex issues of perception of the world of external stimuli at any age. And at the same time, the microclimate inside the space allows you to enjoy pleasant memories and hear your forgotten inner child, at least for a moment.
The article has been prepared for publication in Kyiv Daily.
The author of the text
Art historian and the art manager of the Imagine Point Gallery
Inna Kalenska
The exhibition is open until May 22 at the address of Sichovyh Striltsiv St., 23A.