Olesia Drashkaba’s “Radicalization”

For Olesia Drashkaba “Radi­ca­li­za­tion” is not only a kind of re­flection on Maidan events (which is clear from the title), but also an attempt to overview her own creative work over the past year. The “pea­ce­ful” works and the most recent ones (radicalized) have some­thing in com­mon. The author considers that the meaning of the exhibit is namely in the repetition of similar plots and seeing a new sense in them. But for her the process of radicalization of the Ukrainian society in Maidan is not only in the eyes of her characters, but also in the type of her graphic work. Therefore for the works (15 pieces) she chose the monotyping technique. Mono­typing is a rare technique where with the help of typographic paint and extremely thin paper the fullness of the line, spot, and emotion is visualized via a glass.

“Radicalization is when the eyes become more severe, and the heart – more vulnerable,” says the master. “Radica­lization has settled as balaclavas in our purses, but it does not have anything in common with weaponry or ammunition.

Radicalization is inability to accept the injustice, inability to stand aside and listen to your fear. We don’t need yesterday’s comfortable things anymore, yesterday’s merry friends are not interesting anymore, yesterday’s favorite routes became ‘dangerous’ or ‘safe.’ The fact of danger has changed – it stopped being the crucial one. The ideas, brothers-in-arms, prayers, wind, and eyes of strangers in balaclavas became the crucial ones. We have radicalized, but we have become clearer and lighter.”