Kyiv Diary 2014

Editor: Here we have Vlada Ralko's "Kyiv Diary," created in 2014. It appears to be a mixed-media piece incorporating drawing, watercolor, and ink. There is a rather disturbing juxtaposition of images. What do you make of this work? Curator: I see a direct confrontation with the means of image production, particularly concerning representation of conflict and trauma. Ralko, here, employs mixed media—humble materials really, ink and watercolor—to render a stark contrast between images of death and veiled resistance. Think about the social context of 2014 Kyiv: the Maidan Revolution, the beginning of the war. How do these accessible materials impact the meaning, considering what more traditional "fine art" materials might convey? Editor: It's interesting that you bring up the idea of accessible materials. Do you think this impacts the viewer's perception? Curator: Absolutely. The rawness of ink and the fluidity of watercolor avoid any sense of monumentality or grandeur, qualities often associated with more "high art" mediums. Instead, there’s an immediacy, a sense of lived experience translated directly onto the page. This challenges established power structures, rejecting a distanced, idealized view of conflict. It forces us to confront the raw, unedited reality. Editor: So the materials themselves become a form of resistance? Curator: Precisely. By choosing these everyday materials and employing an expressionistic style, Ralko democratizes the narrative. She questions the authority of conventional artistic representations of war and trauma. Think about the labor involved – the repetitive act of drawing and painting as a form of processing collective trauma. Editor: This makes me think about the diary aspect of the title. It’s not just a depiction, it’s a personal record. Curator: Indeed. And that shifts the focus from detached observation to embodied experience. The ‘Kyiv Diary’ becomes a testament to the power of individual narratives in challenging dominant historical accounts. Editor: That's a completely different way of seeing this piece! It really changes how I understand the artist's message. Curator: It does for me too, revisiting it is an opportunity to reflect again on Ukraine and trauma and resistance, and representation.