Girls with a skipping rope 1992

Editor: Here we have Oleg Holosiy's "Girls with a skipping rope" from 1992, made with watercolours. It’s got this wonderfully hazy, dreamlike quality to it. The figures almost seem to melt into the landscape. What strikes you when you look at it? Curator: Immediately, the circle is quite interesting. The skipping rope creates an implied circle of play, linking the girls, but what about the girl on the swing, hovering outside the ring? The colours contribute to a mood, where innocence meets some sort of unknown space beyond the playground. Editor: An unknown space? I'm not sure I follow... Curator: Think about the historical context of 1992. What does this symbolise when Ukrainian society was finding a new national identity following the collapse of the Soviet Union? Do you think the rope around them signifies something binding or just joyful play? Editor: That’s a fascinating point! I hadn’t considered the political aspect at all. I saw it more as a snapshot of childhood freedom, but your perspective definitely adds another layer. I wonder, if he intended this darker symbolism, did he feel a nostalgia or did he believe this new world would have a better offering? Curator: Holosiy may be contrasting childhood games against an era, in which symbols become unglued and are cast afloat. Considering this cultural disruption, can play still exist, or will a menacing reality swallow innocence? Editor: Wow, that gives me a lot to consider, looking at it now. Curator: Perhaps, a warning that beauty is both powerful and very delicate!