Olesia Rybchenko. Milling

Olesia Rybchenko lives and works in Kyiv, Ukraine. The title of the project "Milling" refers to the last cycle of paintings launched in 2021, the author focuses on the theme of the elements of the painting field and their ability to emotionally influence. Appealing to the theoretical and visual practices of Ukrainian artists of the early twentieth century, namely to the series of works "Sawyers" by Oleksandr Bohomazov, the author seeks to find common ground through the means of art, through constant ritual artistic practices and scientific research.

It is in this context that not only a very similar historical situation – the War – is revealed, but also a certain need for contemporary artists to "anchor" with previous practices in order to restore the neural connections of the artistic organism, this cyclicality is nominated in our consciousness and has become a universal norm of civilizational cyclicity: constant destruction and restoration.

To think about the process of understanding or adaptation through the metaphor of the "saw-mill" is based on the idea that even the deepest ruptures can be the points of beginning of the new, creating a therapeutic space for rethinking and hope.

The Milling Project demonstrates that destruction is not the end. The saw leaves scars, but it helps to transform them into symbols of rebirth, where elements of destruction and restoration interact in a single composition. They symbolize wounds, pain and the process of destruction, which is the central theme of adaptation. The "pulsating" form of the project, which creates an association with living tissue or scars, can be felt as healing... adding depth and symbolizing the shadow of the past, loss and reflection, it reinforces the duality of the process: on the one hand, destruction, on the other, the possibility for a new life.

I think that painting (as a work of visual codes) is a reflection and a certain way to understand an experience or an event a little better, and it is also an opportunity to talk about my practice in another language – visual.

This project aims to encourage viewers to introspect and reflect on their own path through the "inner labyrinth" by milling: that is, dividing into elements, parts, in order to be able to compare their life stages, and feel that the way to the light is possible, even if the path seems confusing and dark.

This project combines art and metaphysics, creating an opportunity for a deep personal experience of "sawing" that helps to realize that fears and insecurities are only part of the path to a greater understanding of oneself. Smooth, linear and sinuous contours that resemble natural structures (leaves, nerve endings or veins) appear as if they have been melted or deformed, suggesting the impact of destruction. The saw and the milling cutter are a hidden symbol: the central element of the composition is a pointed, jagged shape that resembles saw teeth or milling cutters. It embodies destruction and, at the same time, the possibility of processing and transforming chaos into a new structure; the combination of aggressive and soft movement of the form emphasizes this process.

The main aspiration of the author is to create a platform, a certain space for dialogue and reflection where recovery and psychological adaptation are possible, uniting people through creativity.

Location: Kyiv, TRIPTYCH gallery.

Project curator: Tetiana Savchenko.

The exhibition will run from July 3 to 16, 2025.