VARVARA UHLIK
*UPCOMING*
SUNSHINE, HOW ARE YOU?
SLAV GAZE
DIGITAL (AFTER)
PLAYLAND
VIDEO WORKS
COMMISSIONS AND NOT
VARVARA UHLIK
*UPCOMING*
SUNSHINE, HOW ARE YOU?
SLAV GAZE
DIGITAL (AFTER)
PLAYLAND
VIDEO WORKS
COMMISSIONS AND NOT
"Slav Gaze" reflects on Eastern European culture as seen on social media. In many post-Soviet countries, there is a tendency for people to post pictures of luxurious meals, to show how well they are dressed, or to display the latest fancy item they've purchased.
While many focus on feeding their eyes with such glamorous objects, I’ve wondered why the surrounding environment is often overlooked. A psychologist once suggested that this tendency stems from a deep craving for beauty, born out of the "ugliness" that surrounds many people - primarily the brutalist, grey architecture. This resonates with the post-Soviet experience, where the aesthetic of everyday life can feel harsh or bleak.
Drawing from this context, I believe that our culture is beautiful in its own way, and I try to embrace this through my project. These landscapes, with their rawness and history, form an essential part of our identity and stay with us forever, no matter how much we try to distract ourselves from them.