“Two stars, Beta - allowed myself to dream”, 45 × 40 cm, 2021, Acrylics and pigment on canvas

This painting by Olga Krykun (b. 1994, Ukraine) depicts two stars with calm, almost detached expressions. They appear both as performers and spectators, and as figures suspended between stage and sky. Their faces suggest a quiet awareness of being looked at, yet they remain emotionally distant, unable or unwilling to fully engage with the world around them.

The title hints at longing; “allowed myself to dream” suggests a temporary escape from the roles and performances demanded in everyday life. In this way, the stars become symbols of how performativity extends beyond the stage and into the identities we inhabit socially and emotionally.

Olga Krykun describes her different series as “universes.”

These universes are shaped by her experiences growing up in her family’s souvenir shop in Ukraine during the rapidly globalizing 1990s. Drawing on objects from the souvenir shop, Krykun combines fictional narratives with personal memories and cultural references. In doing so, she creates universes that are both visually captivating and deeply connected to social and cultural change. The works in this series invite us into a world where memory, imagination, and reality intertwine.

1.300€ + shipping