The first project selected via an open call for young artists’ 2018 is an exhibition by two artists from Kyiv. 

“The modern man constantly balances between the reality of material life and the unreality of modern technologies. The recent years have been a transition period with uncertainty and turbulence. In this existential chaos, we subconsciously seek out like-minded people. Through such a search, this project was born. The ambivalent qualities of a mirror united Alona Shybunova and Yevheniia Antonova. On the one hand, it reflects reality and is a metaphor for truth, but on the other, it creates an illusion and distortion. In psychoanalysis, the mirror is seen as an object through which the child develops a sense of self. Looking at themselves in the mirror, little humans go through three stages: self-identification, self-esteem, self-knowledge. Likewise, in the installation ‘Bath’, Yevheniia Antonova reflects on her childhood memories, thinks about her place in the world, what this world is for her, and how her own experience influences her decisions. Alona Shybunova’s artwork ‘Toy’ is the refrain of the journey from childhood to adulthood. Teddy bears, pups, and baby elephants are friends who help go through the first stresses, fears, and the first experience of socialization in a hostile environment. We return to childhood memories to heal our traumas in adulthood…”