The exhibition brings together a series of works from the photo wallpaper series Welcome to Paradise (2023–2024) and paintings from 2022–2025. In these works, the artist explores how mass culture and war shape perceptions of space and influence identity. The project will run until 6 December 2025.
Photo wallpapers, once a popular element of post-Soviet interiors, created the illusion of ‘paradise’ in one's own home. Karina Synytsia contrasts this imaginary comfort zone with the real experiences of war: the idealised landscapes in her works are destroyed, filled with scorched earth and architectural debris. ‘These decorations, which once symbolised the dream of an ideal place, now remind us of the loss of access to Crimea, the Sea of Azov, the steppes and eastern Ukraine,’ says the author of the project.
A special place in the exhibition is given to paintings dedicated to architectural monuments in Dnipro and other regions of Ukraine. Among them are the abandoned summer theatre in Globa Park (the so-called ‘shell’) and Ernest Kotkov's destroyed composition ‘Dnipro Waves’. Through these images, Synytsia speaks about locality, the importance of cultural heritage and its loss, and reflects on the transformation of our idea of ‘home’ in times of war.
The exhibition opens with the work ‘There Will Be No Palms in Paradise’ (February 2022), which became the impetus for the subsequent series. It depicts the Metallurg Palace of Culture in Dnipro in a composition typical of photo wallpaper, with imaginary architectural details and local flora. This work laid the foundation for exploring the themes of space, memory, and illusions.
"For me, this exhibition is about personal and collective memories, about how imaginary ‘paradisiacal’ images overlap with the experience of loss. It is about love for places that can never be returned to. I want to create a space for reflection on how war transforms not only the physical but also the emotional landscape, changing our sense of home, security and ideals. This exhibition is about memories and collective pain, in which irony gives way to love," says Karina Synytsia.
WHEN: 8 October 2025, at 18:30
WHERE: Artsvit Gallery, Dnipro, Krutohirnyy Uzviz 21a. Entrance through the glass doors from Uspenska Square
ENTRANCE IS FREE
Design: Alla Sorochan
Photo: Nikita Zeletsky
