ABOUT

“One day I woke up, and the lines on my palms had changed.

I knew my course had transformed.

Oh Earth, my Earth,

I am a whale.

I need a breathing valve, a huge blowhole to exhale through the war that should have been eradicated, overcome a long time ago.

And now I have to take my time they said

and it felt like I had to take an hourglass covered in golden thorns,

like the domes of Kyiv's churches, spikes of Ukrainian borders,

and walk beside you.”

Each of these images that you see, are not just AI or generated story for fun. I am inspired by real people and magical realism helps me to reflect existence and show how we can engage with it directly, seeing it through different dimensions.

“HVALUR” was drawn from the figure of a soldier who had returned from war, with whom I spent time. Through my imagination, I brought forth visions that could help him process, articulate, and navigate his experiences. I know it’s bold to say, but I hoped these stories might help to heal a part of him, guiding him into a new identity that isn’t about escape. I don’t believe in escapism in our reality anymore. Instead, it’s about living in the present moment, holding onto these images as shields, as something that would connect us across time, finding healing in one another.

In this vision, I wanted the stone into which the traveler transforms to be reflective—a mirror so that people approaching it would see only themselves. I imagined that this sculpture could help us learn to look deeply into our own consciousness, healing one another, and when I say healing, it means never harming.

The original story, script, and creative direction belong to Anna Tymofieieva.