🐧 But Why — Project Description
But Why is an art project about the moment when a person chooses to step away from a shared direction and move along their own path.
The starting point was a story about a penguin that leaves its group and walks into the mountains — without explanation and without an obvious reason. This gesture of “why?” became the foundation of the project.
In collaboration with an artist from Hong Kong, small ceramic penguin sculptures were created based on my sketches. These objects are placed in urban environments — near old, abandoned, or functionally obsolete buildings.
The penguin is turned away from the past and directed toward open space. This is not an escape, but a conscious act of distancing — a refusal to remain in something that is no longer alive.
Each sculpture has coordinates. It can be found and taken. At that moment, the work leaves the author’s control and becomes part of the personal story of the person who discovers it.
The project exists as a chain of quiet gestures: placement, discovery, disappearance. It is not an object for observation, but an action — about choice, movement, and the right to go in a different direction, even if no one understands why.
On TikTok, it comes to life and participates in trends.

I developed a project featuring a series of miniature sculptures as part of a tender application. During the preparation process, I studied the history of the city and, based on local narratives, created a range of sketches — from more complex and conceptual to lighter, ironic, and playful ones.
Although the project was not selected in the tender, I decided to realize it independently using my own resources.
This allowed me to maintain artistic independence and continue developing the idea beyond the constraints of the competition.

I then independently purchased stone and tools and rented a workshop space for the realization of the project. During the process, a series of stone sculptures was created, united by a single concept.

The completed series was submitted for consideration for installation in public urban space. The project underwent expert review with the participation of specialists and representatives of the artistic community and was unanimously approved for implementation.

Thus, the project received official support and was integrated into the urban environment.

When the war began, while many people were evacuating documents and their most valuable belongings, I was transporting this sculpture.

Estonia , Viljandi

Estonia, Viljandi. Finland.
This idea went through several stages of transformation, starting from the beginning of the war. In the process of changing life circumstances and context, it was repeatedly rethought and adapted, while maintaining its educational and artistic foundation.

An important separate stage for me was working as a restorer in Estonia. This experience allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of wood as a material, its structure, and processing characteristics.
Within this activity, I carried out both standard commissioned work for income and more complex and interesting projects, including the restoration of historical objects, such as 16th-century doors.

The “Unity” project was realized in Hong Kong in collaboration with Sui Chi Pak. We organized the participants, prepared the materials, rented a space, and carried out the performance in a specially equipped studio.

Event Title:
“Random Drawing” — Street Art Performance
Format / Type:
Street art performance / spontaneous painting
Description:
“Random Drawing” is a street art performance based on chance and open interaction with the urban environment. The drawing took place in public space without any preliminary plan or sketch, influenced by the surrounding environment, passersby, sounds, movement, and the atmosphere of the location.
Passersby became indirect participants in the performance through their looks, comments, questions, or brief interactions. The artistic gesture was formed in real time, turning the street into a living studio and the process itself into an independent artistic statement.
The project explores themes of chance, freedom, and the rejection of control in art, while also emphasizing the importance of the moment and presence within urban space.

Event Title:
“Voice of the Streets” — Performance
Format / Type:
Interview-based performance in public space
Description:
“Voice of the Streets” is an artistic performance in the form of an interview, realized in an open urban environment. I asked the same question to random passersby — people of different ages, genders, professions, and cultural backgrounds.
Key question of the performance:
“Why do people engage in art even if it does not generate income?”
The project explores personal motivations, values, and inner reasons why a person chooses art despite economic logic. Participants’ answers reflect a wide range of perspectives — from emotional necessity and inner freedom to resistance to systems and the desire to be heard.
The performance captures the living response of society and transforms everyday dialogue into an artistic statement, where each voice becomes part of a shared reflection on the role of art in the contemporary world.
Video below.

I was an invited participant in an art event held in a studio in Hong Kong. As part of the event, I demonstrated techniques of Ukrainian decorative art, while another artist presented her practice in the field of ceramics.
A small exhibition of works was also organized, with some of the pieces presented for sale.

🐧 But Why — Project Description
But Why is an art project about the moment when a person chooses to step away from a common direction and move along their own path.
The starting point was a story about a penguin that leaves its group and walks into the mountains — without explanation and without an obvious reason. This gesture of “why?” became the foundation of the project.
In collaboration with an artist from Hong Kong, small ceramic penguin sculptures were created based on my sketches. These objects are placed in urban spaces — near old, abandoned, or functionally obsolete buildings.
The penguin is turned away from the past and directed toward open space. This is not an escape, but a conscious act of distancing — a refusal to remain in something that is no longer alive.
Each sculpture has coordinates. It can be found and taken. At that moment, the work leaves the author’s control and becomes part of the personal story of the person who discovers it.
The project exists as a chain of quiet gestures: placement, discovery, disappearance. It is not an object for observation, but an action — about choice, movement, and the right to go in a different direction, even if no one understands why.
On TikTok, it comes to life and participates in trends.