Maryna Shtanko is a visual artist and photographer from Kharkiv, and has a Master’s degree in German Language & Literature from Karazin University (2014). Her work spans from documentary to fine art and shows her interest in working with analogue photography, experimenting with text and painting techniques.

About her series Escape (2020), she writes: “A few years ago my parents bought a house in a small village in Ukraine. According to Wikipedia, it had a population of 47 people in 2001. It’s a beautiful place but somehow I always felt as if I didn’t belong there. Being used to city life and urban surroundings, I didn’t feel comfortable staying “in the middle of nowhere.

However, last year everything changed. During the lockdown, it appeared to be a perfect place to stay and thus escape reality. I wanted to capture this time and see how such an ordinary life can be so unusual. And how the addiction to the realities of the modern world can change a person’s attitude towards nature, isolation, and freedom” – said Maryna.

Apply to the Open Call 2022 for Solo and Group Exhibitions.