Voloshyn Gallery is proud to present the group exhibition Afterimage, showcasing the paintings by Artem Volokitin and Tetiana Malinovska, sculptures by Maria Kulikovska, and video art by Alina Fedotova. Project curators: Tetiana Malinovska and Julia Voloshyna.

Even the most attractive reality may be abandoned in favor of the most tenuous or improbable illusion. Eric Berne, What Do You Say After You Say Hello An afterimage is a phenomenon of human conscious- ness that creates and retains an image of an object the gaze had focused on even after the object itself has been removed. Afterimages occur most common- ly after observing objects lit up by sunlight or blinding flares. From the physiological perspective, afterimages are a side effect of an eye adapting to bright light. And yet, these afterimages are highly individual and strong- ly affected by each person's psychological or emotion- al state.

An afterimage visualizes interactions between reality and illusion intertwined so closely as to become indistin- guishable, despite glaring contradiction. The harmony between the material reality and the fantasy world is attained through personal experiences. Human perception makes the two phenomena manifest and equal, both visually tangible.

This controversial harmony and illusory realism combine the vibrant monochrome of Volokitin’s paintings, the expressive sensuousness of Malinovska’s works, Fedotova’s progressive tonic video art, and Kulikovska’s dynamic static statues.

Uliana Kurhanova, art scholar Artem Volokitin was born in 1981 in the town of Chuhuiv (Kharkiv region). He studied at the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Art. He had an internship at Antony Gormley's studio in London. He won the Main PinchukArtCentre Prize in 2011. In 2011, he participated in the parallel program of the Venice Biennale. In 2015, Volokitin's works were presented at the main program of the Venice Biennale (Ukrainian pavilion “Hope!”). Volokitin's works were exhibited at art fairs Art Copenhagen, Kolner Listе and Scope NY. He lives and works in Kharkiv.

Tetiana Malinovska was born in 1980 in Odesa. She studied at the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Art. In 2002-2007, she studied and worked at Yevhen Bykov's Bottega Art Studio. She's been working with Artem Volokitin since 2005. Since 2010, she spearheaded many large-scope group women's projects, including Women Secret (Mystetskyi Arsenal), Big Fat Nothing (YermilovCentre), and Toy Story (Voloshyn Gallery). She lives and works in Kharkiv.

Maria Kulikovska was born in 1988 in Kerch (Crimea, Ukraine). She studied at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture and at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts (Stockholm, Sweden). Mukhi Prize 2010 and RutaRuna Competition 2013 winner, PinchukArtCentre Prize nominee 2013. In 2013, she taught a course in media art at IZOLYATSIA. Platform for Cultural Initiatives. She also taught at the Visual Culture Research Centre School of Political Performance (2016 and 2017), at Liverpool John Moores University (2017), and more. She lives and works in Kyiv.

Alina Fedotova was born in 1986 in Inkerman (Crimea, Ukraine). She studied at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture, at the Institute of Art of the University of Opole (Masters in New Media), and at Lomon- osov Moscow State University (marine sciences). She works in painting, digital stage design, audiovisual art, etc., actively collaborating with composers and DJs from Ukraine, Russia and Europe. The artist participated in many solo and group projects in Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Russia. She lives and works in Opole, Poland.