At the Museum and Exhibition Center of The Museum of Kyiv History, the contemporary art exhibition “Seeing Dreams” will be presented, featuring creative reflections of dreams and reveries made by 36 artists.

What do Ukrainians dream about every night these days? A peaceful future in their native country? Warm memories of the pre-war years? A delicious dinner in mother’s kitchen or the first uncertain steps of a son? Or, perhaps, the last words of a comrade-in-arms or the wildly piercing whistles of rockets?

Today every Ukrainian constantly experiences pain in real life, the grief of loss, psychological pressure, and the horrors of war. For some, dreams are an opportunity to hide, even for a while, from the terrible reality, while for others they return them to places and events they would like to forget forever. This project invites visitors to immerse themselves in the fascinating, and sometimes terrifying, worlds of dreams and the subconscious.

“The idea for the project was born during the days of terrifying shelling in Ukraine, when it was frightening to go to sleep because falling asleep meant entering another world, and waking up meant sirens and explosions. While going to bed was scary, and waking up was even scarier… We were interested in analyzing and tracing these emotions in the works of artists, because an artist always perceives more subtly and has the tools to express it in their work,” shared the exhibition curators Olena Yermolenko and Valeriy Leshchynskyi.

The exhibition will feature works by 36 talented Ukrainian artists who, using various forms of art—painting, photography, installation, graphics, assemblage—explore the fine line between reality and imagination.

The curators have prepared an engaging route through the exhibition so that every visitor can experience the full depth and diversity of the world of dreams. In creating their works, each participant drew inspiration from their own reveries, anxieties, and socio-cultural questions, embedding a kaleidoscope of emotions and sensations. Yet “Seeing Dreams” is also the voice of each of us, presented through the eyes of the artists, because the fears and desires we share now are the same for everyone.