"A Little More". From "Never again" series

The space in which the exposition unfolds becomes a metaphor for the unconscious. There is a secret place inside every person where fears, suppressed emotions, and unwanted memories are hidden. Everything that is difficult to express in reality — impotence, shame, resentment, fatigue, anger, envy. Embodied in the form of works of art, they are exposed and presented to the viewer as a tangible reality. Through this transformation, a therapeutic effect is achieved: "forbidden" feelings are incorporated into one's own biography and the personality becomes voluminous and integral.

"Never again" is a phrase with which we often set limits and prohibitions for ourselves, without knowing the underlying reasons for our actions. These prohibitions are often immediately violated. A harsh statement about the new rules becomes a parody of oneself, sounds false and hopeless. As a promise to start a new life on Monday.

It is much more difficult to treat life as a free game, where there are no strict rules, and creativity or any other activity exists to free oneself from one's own limitations. To do this, you need to overcome fear, name it, consider it, and let it go. Will it be possible to do this by completely unloading your own "basements"? It's a lifelong question. In the meantime, the works presented at the exhibition fluctuate between strict self-restraint and free play. The range of their emotional intensity is very large — from extremely personal and confessional to detached and ironic. Do I need to find a balance at all, or let this pendulum swing?"

Text: Asya Marakulina.