inst: @burenko

Anna Kostritskaya’s work carries an undeniable urgency, each brushstroke infused with a tension between fragility and defiance. Her art does more than depict; it preserves, resists, and remembers. Born in Ukraine, her creative journey has been deeply intertwined with the turbulence of her homeland. Since the full-scale war began, her work has taken on an even more urgent role, serving as a form of documentation, capturing emotions, losses, and the resilience of her people. Her paintings often feel like open wounds, yet within them lies tenderness, a refusal to let beauty be erased by destruction. Working across multiple mediums - painting, photography, and mixed media, Kostritskaya employs different artistic languages to express the unspeakable. In her portraits, faces emerge from the canvas like whispers, layered with texture, almost as if they are fighting to remain visible. There is a quiet intimacy in her work, a recognition of individual stories otherwise lost within the vastness of war. Much of her practice is rooted in the act of bearing witness. Her work explores displacement, identity, and the intersection of personal and collective history. Her photography, in particular, captures fleeting moments, glimpses of life that feel sacred in their ordinariness, a stark contrast to the overwhelming instability surrounding them. Her creative process is instinctual, driven by emotion rather than rigid intent. She has described it as work that decides its own path, rather than one that is meticulously planned. Yet, despite the weight of her subject matter, her art is about endurance. It embodies the human spirit’s refusal to be silenced. Beneath the layers of grief, there is strength. There is the unbreakable.

Twin sisters Mishel and Nicol Feldman, known as Sestry Feldman, have never followed convention. Born in Dnipro in 1996, their artistic journey began at the age of eight, driven by an innate curiosity and a family that valued freedom, self-expression, and resilience. Their father—a political prisoner under the Kuchma regime—remained an unseen figure until they were eight. But when they sent him a childhood portrait, his reply was simple yet profound: “It’s a masterpiece.” That single phrase became their silent manifesto—a sign that art was their destiny. From Kyiv’s subway walls to global exhibitions in Paris, Brussels, and Tel Aviv, their work is a fearless mix of street art, political satire, and electrifying visual storytelling. Their murals, bursting with modernised Cossacks, surreal talismans, and raw emotion, are not just paintings—they are acts of defiance, echoes of history, and visions of the future. Their five-episode animated series "Yoyo", initially meant as a yoga guide for children, turned into a satirical take on AI and humanity’s future, blending humour and dystopian vision. With no formal training, their education comes from cinema, techno beats, and the streets. Their art pulses with movement, rebellion, and energy—a world where vibrant colors meet stark realities, where every piece demands attention. Their art isn’t just seen—it’s felt, lived, and encountered.

In a world governed by rules—both written and unspoken—Darina Smolkina’s art whispers of quiet rebellion. Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, now based in Lisbon, she crafts paintings that feel like echoes of a theatrical performance, where characters linger in a suspended moment, caught between societal expectations and personal truths. Her work is a stage, and every canvas is a scene unfolding. Darina’s journey began in a traditional family, where expectations were clear—but her fascination with the surreal led her beyond the familiar. She started art school at six, mastering techniques that shaped her unique visual language. While studying graphic design in Kyiv, Darina found her true voice in painting — a space where boundaries blurred and deeper narratives emerged. At 19, she moved to Lisbon, an experience that shaped her perspective as an outsider navigating an unfamiliar world. Her art became a reflection of identity, isolation, and the quiet weight of societal expectations. From Schönhausen Palace Museum in Berlin to New York’s 17frost Gallery, her work speaks to a universal struggle — the tension between conformity and self-expression. Whether in the dreamlike haze of New Dream World or the raw intimacy of My First Diary, Darina’s paintings invite viewers to step into a moment of self-reflection, where emotions take form and meaning unfolds. Darina doesn’t just paint figures — she paints questions. Her art asks: Who are we, beyond the expectations placed upon us? What do we reveal, and what do we conceal? Her world is one where the symbolic and the surreal merge, reflecting not just her own journey, but the collective search for meaning in a world full of invisible walls.