Video

An alarm clock, morning…. I meet a new day.
The wind is knocking on the window from the yard.
A comb, a powder, a bag, a cup of tea…
I put on a mask. It's time to go!

What awaits me: resentment or affection?
Oblivion or a wreath of glory ?
I play and change my masks,
My clothes, makeup, movements, and voice.

There is no place for fatigue,
I burst into the dialogues in haste ...
I wanted to be a muse or a goddess.
But in the play there is only the role of a reliable shoulder.
And I solve life equations
With a calm and steady hand.
I draw inspiration from the ordinary things,
And provide others with care and peace.

During a theater run
Vanity does not torment me.
I turn a scary dragon
Into a lazy home cat.

The day is over. I won’t disturb the evening.
The violin and oboe will warm it up.
I take the mask off, and strip my soul.
And I become myself again…

Iryna Akimova

“A View from Behind the Scenes” is a curatorial art project of Irina Akimova and the Ukrainian Association of Women's Studies in Viscountry (UAFRA), which offers a look at our life through the prism of Shakespearean lines: “The whole world is a theater, and the people in it are actors” ... All are women, men ...

Actors on stage lead us into invented worlds offering to empathize with the plot of the play. And we, grateful spectators, observe what is happening with sincere interest, recognizing our acquaintances in the heroes or ourselves. Outside the theater, in real life, we play our roles in the family, at work, in society. We create and invent our own stories. The daily theater mixes life and reality. We want the main roles, but often we remain in extras. And we are looking for our place in a complex play called “life”.

Let's take a look from behind the scenes at the scene of life and into the auditorium. What are they actors we face in life? How do viewers perceive theatrical stories and actors that transform into heroes of their role? How does the audience live, in which each viewer plays his own role? How do we manage to simultaneously play two roles - the viewer and the actor? What kind of masks do we wear in real life and why? Where is the fine line between the game and real feelings? How do our own roles change depending on external circumstances and our formation as an individual?

This philosophical conversation is attended by 23 Ukrainian and foreign contemporary artists who are well known to Ukrainian and foreign audiences. The exhibition features painting, installations, photo and video art, collage and performance. The viewer will get acquainted with the female look of contemporary artists on a complex system of human relations with unexpected interpretations, emotional dialogues, subtle irony and sincere thoughts.

Project participants: Rodnikoff Irina (USA), Abramova Marianna, Adkozalova Victoria, Akimova Irina, Bitaev Anna, Vasilenko Tanya, Vorona Irina, Davydenko Lyudmila, Ivaschenko Daria, Kondratyuk Elena, Kuzmicheva Valentina, Litovchenko Paula, Lugovskaya Anna, Melnikova Olga, Pavlich Olga, Pavlich Olga, Pavlich Olga , Petrenko-Litvinova Natalia, Plavun Valentina, Pukhanova Larisa, Rondyak Olga (USA), Strizhko Natalya, Fedorishin Natalia, Chepelik Oksana, Shimko Tanya.

The curator of the project is Irina Akimova.

The coordinator is Miroslava Yakimchuk.