IT’S ONLY THE END OF THE WORLD

This exhibition dedicates itself to the unnoticed metamorphoses and mutations that occur quietly and steadily amid the overwhelming presence of war and beyond its sudden outbursts. As a condition, war is a totality; it seeps into every crack, saturates the air, and dissolves within it. Its effects become harder to recognize with each passing day. Habits and changes formed in such an environment do not seem surprising, for who hasn’t slept through the rumble of Shaheed drones? Yet, it’s nearly impossible to miss an explosion. Shocks thus break through everyday routines, illuminating the surrounding destruction like blinding flashes of lightning.  

This is how the new hybrid body has emerged: something has disappeared within it; a prosthesis and heavy armor have grown elsewhere; and new, previously unknown abilities have appeared. The evolution of living organisms is a series of mutations that respond to the natural environment and allow them to adapt to it. A rupture in the usual order of things thus gives way to new, amazing shapes and ways of life. This exhibition invites you to take a closer look at these mutated images and recognize yourself in them. Nature does not reason in terms of beauty or ugliness; the ability to survive, defying blind improbability, is the only criterion of success. As humans, we cannot help but assign meaning, especially in times of war. War forces us to sharpen our sense of right and wrong, as it helps us to survive. This exhibition instead encourages us to adopt the humility of nature for a moment and observe life in all its manifestations and the complexity and multidimensionality of life in proximity to death.

Destruction and rebirth occur in cycles, sometimes within one day, at an accelerated pace. This exhibition seeks to capture condensed eventfulness on the eve of, during, and after the cataclysm. When close to the disaster, each choice takes on special meaning, as if it could stop or accelerate it. At the same time, the constant feeling of impending doom makes every choice feel significant, as if everything were to end the same way. And be reborn again. Perhaps. We refuse to make any predictions because everything has long been known. The only thing left to do is look at the unforeseeable and exhale with relief: “It’s Only the End of the World.”

1. Olga Stein 

Sofa Form No.3, 2025
bench, foam, cellophane, fish scales, varnish
Courtesy of the Artist 
Produced with the support of PinchukArtCentre

The metaphor created by Olga Stein in her work Sofa Form No. 3 can be interpreted in a variety of ways. The strange creature crawling out of the walls could be a worm or a snake. Alternatively, it could be some kind of mysterious interior object. It is also an ouroboros — “the one who devours his own tail.” It sheds its skin repeatedly to grow a new one, existing in a cycle of self-destruction and self-reproduction. This reminds of the way humanity reinvents itself after disasters. It is like a body whose cells constantly die and regenerate. 

Curiously, it crawled out right here. A life of its own clearly flickers between the walls of the art center. The artist brings it to light, along with the hidden passages and the objects stored within them. Such works are often referred to as institutional critiques in the art world. In this case, it also depends on whether the worm poses any danger. Perhaps it processes plant residue and creates fertile soil? Or maybe it is a parasite that interferes with the lives of others? Or perhaps it simply plays its part in the food chain, being eaten by a larger creature.

Some people say that it isn’t even a living organism, but simply part of the interior — some kind of sofa that can “accommodate your bum,” as the artist herself says. In this case, the object reflects certain societal relations in which there might not be enough space for everyone; consider, for example, a tram or an art center. Stein indicates that boundaries are continuously being mutually overstepped. This is precisely why she challenges the institution’s limits and disturbs its hidden corners. Mutations are never an individual process. Evolutionary changes that support life occur due to the coexistence of different species and the influence of the external environment. Can humanity evolve without destructive and parasitic relations, only with mutual cooperation?

2. Anna Nykytiuk

Nowhere and with No One, 2023ʼ
acrylic on canvas 
Courtesy of the Artist 

In contrast, Anna Nykytiuk’s work, displayed alongside Olga Stein’s installation, is strikingly direct — one might even call it a window to reality. Nykytiuk’s painting raises the question of forced mobilization, colloquially known as ‘busification’. There have been numerous cases of conscription squads abusing their power and resorting to force against those eligible for military service. The title of the artwork hints that such cases should not have occurred, hence Nowhere and with No One. The primary cause of this is obviously the war against Russia, a war conducted with a drastic lack of human resources. The Russian war of aggression has turned human lives into means and targets that need to be protected. Therefore, contemplating the choice is almost inappropriate. Many people simply don’t have the luxury of choosing not to become heroes and give their lives for others. The lack of choice and the need to defend one’s country in the Armed Forces is a challenge that requires enormous effort from those who are drafted into the army. Having no choice and being required to defend the country in the Armed Forces is a challenge that demands immense strength from those who are drafted. That’s why respect — from both the state and society — is essential.

Nykytiuk blurs faces and minimizes details, embodying the universal nature of the event — it could happen anywhere, to anyone. War is a mistake that should never have happened, or a mistake that people keep repeating. The state becomes less humane in order to protect its people. The end of the world. It seems the end of the world will not be merciful.

3. Vladislav Plisetskiy

Tenderness Gives Freedom, 2025
marker on paper, print on paper, branches, tinsel, sound, synthetic insulation, threads
Courtesy of the Artist 
Produced with the support of PinchukArtCentre

Thank you to all of us
Sasha and Kateryna
Yevgenia Belorusets
Ivanka Kozachenko
Natali Metalie
Alina Yakubenko

A new life awaits, just around the corner… This is how it found artist Vladislav Plisetskiy, who was forcibly mobilized shortly after his 26th birthday in the summer of 2025. He is currently serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and undergoing basic military training. He communicates with the outside world by sending objects by mail to his friends or giving them gifts when they visit his unit. These objects, along with the audio recording on the flash drive, tell a little of this story.

Sticks. They replaced the weapon that Vlad refused to touch on principle.

A drawing by Vlad’s younger friend, Sasha. It depicts Plisetskiy, holding a camera, standing among trees with eyes. The drawing predicts the artist’s fate: As part of his service, he documents everything around him. He says, “My best film is already ready; all that’s left is to shoot it.”

A note, printed on Sasha’s drawing. In it, the artist explains his position in more detail.

A flower, made of branches, camouflage fabric threads, and synthetic insulation. Plisetskiy used to sew dresses and costumes for performances. While in the army, he created this plant from whatever he could find nearby. He adds that he is even more productive while serving than usual.

Tinsel. It was used to decorate the tent where the artist presented his video at the festival. The tent got wet in the rain, so the tinsel (called ‘doshchyk’ in Ukrainian, meaning ‘rain’) is not in its best shape.

Sound recorded on a trial strip.

Tenderness Gives Freedom because Plisetskiy adapts while staying himself. He refuses to shoot and continues serving as a videographer. He stands out from the other soldiers outwardly, but blends into the forest like everyone else wearing pixelated uniforms. His transformation demonstrates how adaptability can create a new way of life. This case is special because not everyone can adapt when they find themselves in a foreign environment.

The army is not always open to foreign elements. Unification is the basis of its effectiveness because it prevents the waste of time and resources, which are scarce on the battlefield. 

War raises questions of effectiveness and humanity in an extremely acute way. The need to defend against the enemy leads to forced mobilization. People with different skills and characteristics end up in the army, and sometimes the system has difficulty fitting them in.

Everyone is most useful in their own position when defending the country. But how do you determine that position? Is it possible to maintain efficiency without losing humanity? 

4. Zhenia Stepanenko

The Milkcap Turns into a Butterfly and the Chanterelle Turns into an Earthworm, 2023
video, 5’19’’
Courtesy of the Artist  

Zhenia Stepanenko’s work centers on the Cladosporium sphaerospermum mushroom species. This black mold grows in damp corners and on rotten food. It also thrives in environments with high levels of radiation, such as the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant reactor. In her video, Stepanenko reveals how this fungus was utilized following the next nuclear disaster, the specifics of which remain unknown.

Fungi are among the most adaptable forms of life. They absorb nutrients from almost anywhere, from old paintings, as they draw in their pigments, or from surfaces covered with uranium ions. They demonstrate the wonders of mutation and adaptation to their inhospitable surroundings, turning anything into nutrients. Humans have also adapted, developing protective suits made from the mycelium of radiotrophic fungi. By that time, humans had learned to extract uranium, build nuclear power plants, and create nuclear bombs. Humanity has long adapted not so much to natural conditions as to the world it has created. And nature responds. First, the Kakhovka Reservoir and Hydroelectric Power Plant were built on the lower Dnipro River. Then, the Russians destroyed them, causing a flood that submerged many settlements. Now, a young willow forest is growing in their place — the only one on the planet made up of trees of the same age — covering 150 hectares of drained land. 

Each cycle provides an opportunity for something new to emerge, but it also destroys what existed before, without a trace. People seem unable to stop repeating the same mistakes, yet they adapt to almost anything, like mushrooms. Is there a limit beyond which life and mutation are no longer possible?

5. Kateryna Lysovenko

Mermaid Embryo, 2024
oil on canvas
Courtesy of the Artist 

New life has begun; cells form an embryo, which in turn forms a mermaid. The delicate body of this creature will soon appear in our world, but it is unclear if we will encounter it. According to Ukrainian folklore, only the sinless can see mermaids. 

Regardless of what creature is born, the miracle of life is striking. Human genes contain fragments of animal genes that existed thousands of years ago. Every living organism carries the results of its predecessors’ mutations and hundreds of years of struggle for survival. At the same time, every creature is unique — the world has never seen anything like it before, and this applies to each of us. In wartime, life becomes painfully beautiful because it continues only because someone sacrifices their life for it. Life exists amid unbearable yet long-familiar circumstances. Kateryna Lysovenko paints mermaids because, in folk mythology, they embody the spirits of the dead. Her work serves as a window into a dream where a person can be reborn.

At the same time, her work reveals the contradiction inherent to existence. No one lives forever; that is why someone new is born, the one that always carries within them everything that came before.

6. Fedir Tetianych

Poem No. 73, late 1970s
printed text on paper
Provided by the artist’s family

Fedir Tetianych’s poem carries a message of hope and an optimistic outlook on humanity and its ability to be reborn. Tetianych recognizes the cyclical nature of destruction and rebirth. He does not judge but calmly proclaims that everything will bow before the almighty eternity of life. Tetianych was an artist and a thinker, and one of his key concepts was that of unity. He believed that the entire world is a single organism that lives forever and that all its components are interconnected, whether they are people or things. Thus, the concepts of end and beginning are merely human constructs for navigating eternity. And death is never all-encompassing; rather, it is local because the whole organism continues to breathe. Only life is total. 

Even when it comes to life, totality is ultimately alarming. Every little death seems insignificant in the face of the world’s greatness or anything greater than human life. Is there anything beyond the existence of a living being? Who is there to decide? The cosmos seems indifferent to such triviality. History often imposes its own rules without asking questions. In such a situation, the greatest luxury is having a choice of what to live and die for. Is war a rebellion against the lack of choice? Or does war dictate that choice?

7. Illia Todurkin

Heroes, 2025
3D print, wood, custom sticker
Courtesy of the Artist 
Produced with the support of PinchukArtCentre

The chess pieces, invented by Illia Todurkin, live and die by their own rules.

The headless figure with a hole in the chest where the lungs would be is the Castle. The slender silhouette with a branch-like appendage instead of a head that fits perfectly into the hole is the Key. They embody questions and answers, search and knowledge, and they are seeking each other. 

The little book with a face is the artist’s self-portrait. Todurkin says that, instead of reading, he decided to learn new things through people. “That’s why I’m just a notebook,” the artist adds. 

The snake embodies infinity through its connection to different generations. At the same time, it represents the endless roads, bridges, and tracks of civilization that remain after humans. 

Another figure is a horse carrying an apartment on its head. The artist cannot return home because he is from Mariupol. “If Mohammed cannot go to the apartment, then the apartment must come to him.”

The king and queen are two graves holding hands. They are inseparable, even after death.

A prison on legs hunts others, seeking to imprison and punish them. In addition to external repressive structures, everyone has an internal prison that restricts words and movements if they are too dangerous. 

The small, crooked man sitting next to the giant jaws is Mouthless. He found a mouth on a tree from which organs sprout. He used to have no words, but now he can finally speak. Probably with someone else’s voice.

This chessboard represents the game humanity is always playing. During confrontations, the Heroes discover their purpose, role, and meaning — knowledge, love, punishment, and expression. Is victory or defeat even possible here?

A Poem by Fedir Tetianych
The earth, embodied in us,
Speaks to itself
And tells everyone,
If they do not know:
There is a unity in me,
Born by you out of decay.
Humanity will, little by little,
Learn to follow you —
To rise from death,
And from the hell of wars
To pass into the paradise of peace.