Krystyna Melnyk

In the work Impossibility of a Pure Gaze, Krystyna Melnyk reflects that pure view of the male body is no longer possible. In this triptych, a young man’s tender, unharmed flesh is adjacent to wounds that seem to dissolve into the material of the canvas. They remind of how political and historical contexts intrude into the sensual experience. The realization that the male body does not belong to itself during war and is extremely vulnerable ruins the perception of innocence, the illusion of full mutual ownership in love. But primarily, this is not about the reality of the physical body, but rather about a ‘deformed’ vision.

In the central work of the triptych, the artist attempts to heal the damaged gaze and to free the person from trauma inflicted by history. The materials chosen, wood and levkas (a special primer), which are traditional in icon painting, make the painting process longer, but also make the work more durable, granting it ‘the right to eternity’.

The side parts of the triptych embody the imprints of history that resemble shadows, spirits, clouds of smoke, and wounds. Ephemeral images elude unambiguous interpretation and therefore capture the complex impact of a traumatic past and war on memory and the mind. This is notably because of the semi-abstract images and the fragility of the fabric canvas, these scars become transient, and the violence disappears. The almost-sacred sensuality of the work and the space reveals a spirituality that finds the image of the divine and timeless awe in the fragility of the human body and soul.