Yuriy Bolsa. Behind the Transparent Curtain — is a new exhibition in the Mala Gallery of the Mystetskyi arsenal

Laboratory of Contemporary Art «Mala Gallery of the Mystetskyi Arsenal» presents Yuriy Bolsa’s personal exhibition «Behind the Transparent Curtain».

This exhibition of artworks by contemporary Ukrainian artist focuses on loneliness and sensitivity to everything related to life changes. This feeling makes us vulnerable. It sharpens our sensitivity to events, conversations, situations, and any signs motivating us to move forward.

The exhibition will open at 12:00 p.m. on 4 July and last until July 28, 2024, in the Mala Gallery of the Mystetskyi Arsenal (Lavrska St., 10).

Yuriy Bolsa was born on May 6, 1997, in Chervonohrad in the Lviv region. He graduated from the Higher Professional School №11 in Chervonohrad with a degree in computer typing and typesetting (2015). Yuriy’s artistic practice began with an intentional isolation in his apartment, which lasted six years. That is why the author works with personal stories, which are dominated by loneliness, self-destruction, and the study of the surrounding society through the prism of alienation. After moving to Kyiv, Yuriy began to work more on the socio-political issues that resonated with his traumas. The artist’s primary subject is destruction and changes that lead to something new emerging.

Working hours:
Wednesday to Sunday, from 12:00 to 19:00
Free admission.

! We care about everyone’s safety, so in case of an air raid alert, the exhibition will be closed. At this time, you can go to the nearest shelter. The exhibition will start working after the end of an air raid alert.

Curatorial text

Yuriy Bolsa’s personal exhibition focuses on loneliness and sensitivity to everything related to life changes. This feeling makes us vulnerable. It sharpens our sensitivity to events, conversations, situations, and any signs motivating us to move forward and to those menacing things that provoke us to stay in safe conditions.

Moving from his native city of Chervonohrad in the Lviv region to Kyiv prompted the artist to reflect on the above-mentioned issues. After spending two weeks in the new city, in addition to the state of general anxiety, the artist suffered appendicitis, which only worsened his restlessness. Severe pain and fear accompanied Yuriy during his stay in the low-grade clinic, bringing him to the idea that it was not worth moving from Chervonohrad after all. After he was discharged from the hospital, Yuriy could not return to the apartment since his neighbour had caught coronavirus. So the artist had to specially rent another accommodation for another two weeks and spend a long time there alone with constant pain and internal doubts about his decision to move. Unable to visit the workshop due to his health, Yuriy tried to paint in his apartment. It reminded him of the times in Chervonohrad when he would also paint pictures at home alone. However, physical pains have now been added to the mental health issues.

Loneliness became the artist’s constant companion in Kyiv, and concerns about whether he should have decided to move to Kyiv became increasingly depressing. He felt lost and alien even among people in the crowd, and the usual social connections appeared to be a challenge. As Yuriy says, a big city should have alleviated the feeling of being isolated, but in reality, it only aggravated it.