Exhibition of works by Maria Kulikovska and Oleg Tistol with the support of Oschadbank

The premium center of Oschadbank in Kyiv hosts an exhibition of contemporary Ukrainian artists, prepared by the Spilne Art gallery in cooperation with Oschadbank.

This is a dialogue between two Ukrainian artists that goes beyond simple observation. A dialogue that is randomly (or not) combined with the topic of Crimea, issues of identity, nationality, war and memory.

The artist Mariya Kulikovska belongs to the generation that advocates the country’s movement towards the West, open democracy and the values of the European Union.

The center of the works is the artist’s own body, not the female body as an abstract form. Her body is a battlefield on which and in which often ambivalent emotions arise and fight with each other. Personal experiences, disappointments and confrontations wage their internal struggle in this body. They fight for a stronger motivation: despair and fear or confidence and courage. In this body it is decided which is the stronger force – hatred and revenge or love and compassion. Dramas of fears, desires and hopes are played out in this body.

In Tistol’s art, which arose on the border of the Soviet and post-Soviet eras, a review of the clichés of Soviet culture and the very cheerfulness and enchantment that defined the essence of the Ukrainian “New Wave” are synthesized.

“Ai Petri” is a cycle that already includes about 300 works with the image of Mount Ai-Petri, work on which Oleg Tistol began on the eve of February 24, 2022, and continued during the full-scale invasion after a two-week creative pause as a reflection on the events. The mountains of Tistola are full of meanings, symbols and ciphers. Mountain peaks of different colors are realistically written on the canvases, and stencil ornaments are applied on top, which are important for the artist, they are a journey into the history of art: here you can find Renaissance, pop art, and Hutsul vytynanka.

This exhibition is a testament to the desire to promote an exquisite cultural experience for Oschadbank guests.

Management and curation by Spilne Art & Natalia Tkachenko.