“Please Bury Me” Anastasiia Kolibaba – “Two Skies” Anastasiia Pustovarova.
Myymälä2 Sep 23th- 2nd Oct

Myymala2 is pleased to present two Ukrainian artists exhibition “Please Bury Me” by Anastasiia Kolibaba and “Two Skies” by Anastasiia Pustovarova.
The exhibition presents artworks made during their residence in Helsinki with ARTISTS at RISK (AR).

The exhibition opening will take place on 23rd September at 17:00

At the opening event, a special musical concert by Ukrainian musician Marina Kramarenko will take place at 17:30.

Anastasiia Kolibaba’s sculptural installation reflects the persistent relevance of memento mori, with its traditional symbols still prevalent in the morbid skull. The awareness of death and annihilation suggested in her artwork are strongly influenced by the devastating war in her homeland. However, the artist seems to wish us to feel, perhaps in our skin and in our spirit, the affinity between suffering and triumph, between life and death, between melancholy and hope, strong emotions not only of hers but sentiments present in the minds and hearts of all Ukrainians.

In her words, with the title of the artwork, “Please bury me” she expresses a verse.

The poisoned ideology is nearing its logical end.

It can be called an ideology only by the signs of a form, except that, filled with nothing.

The emptiness inside oneself is death, and in order not to remain a ghost and not cause misfortune to those alive, it belongs to the grave!

Anastasiia Pustovarova’s atmospheric watercolours are representations of her ideas about the duality of skyscapes and the way they can be experienced.
Her visual compositions seem to be a meaningful reference point to negotiate our relationship with the sky, an involvement that sometimes we give for granted. Each watercolour is a portrait that finely captures the upper and lower spacial spectres of the changeable visual field. As a component part of landscapes, she has reinterpreted the sunflower, the national flower of Ukraine, into a new simplified mysterious symbol, alike talismans or totems that will protect that existential ‘promised land’ that surely will emerge once her homeland will be liberated from the invader army.

Artists bios:
Anastasiia Kolibaba is a Ukrainian artist. Was born in Odesa in 1994. Graduated from Grekov Art College, Odesa, where she studied in the department of painting. She works in the field of painting, sculpture, graphics, and installation. Recent solo exhibitions include: “Sur 24”, Sant’Elia Palace. Palermo, Italy, (2022); ‘191’, Museo of Modern Art, Odesa, Ukraine (2020). Recent group exhibitions: “Before the war”, OFAM, Odesa, (2022); “From archive”, INVOGE Art gallery, Odesa, Ukraine (2020); and “Informat”, Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art, Odesa, Ukraine (2019)

Anastasiia Pustovarova is an Ukrainian artist. Born in Cherkasy. Graduated from the Art academy in Kyiv with a Master’s degree in graphics and illustration. She works mainly in Kyiv and Cherkasy. Her practice touches on the topics of sensual and personal experience, and explores the feeling of fear and love in literature and in a historical context. The main media in the work are graphic printing techniques, painting and photography.
She has exhibited in Ukraine and around Europe. Her works are in collections in Ukraine, Germany, France, and Greece. She was a participant in the special project Piazza Ukraina at the Venice Biennale in 2022 and in the group exhibition “24.02 – Until the victory. Wartime art archive” at The Naked Room in Kyiv (2022).

Myymälä2 Sep 23th- 2nd Oct

Exhibition opening times: Wednesday-Saturday 12-6, Sunday 12-5. Monday-Tuesday Closed

UUDENMAANKATU 23 F, HELSINKI 00120