Painting by Kateryna Khapilina

In this painting, goldfish become a metaphor for the “Others” — those who live beside us, yet often remain outside our attention, understanding, or empathy. They are not possessions — they exist next to us, in their own silence, in a world we rarely notice or try to understand. The work questions the traditional perception of animals as decorative or subordinate, offering instead a view of them as equal coexisting beings who need space, not control. This piece is part of the Silence series, which explores the theme of ignoring global climate change. The goldfish — like fragments of carefree childhood — evoke the memory of a familiar environment that is slowly disappearing. The painting creates an emotional dialogue between nostalgia for the past and anxiety about the future, while calling for empathy — not only between humans, but also for all living beings silently vanishing beside us. It is about the ability to be beside one another without crossing boundaries. About coexisting in delicate silence. Exhibition history: • Shown at the group exhibition Canvas of Fate, House of Artists, Kyiv (March 2024) • Shown at the international exhibition Sospensione tra Acque e Società: Il Colore del Cambiamento, Palazzo Pisani Revedin, Venice (November 2024) Medium: Oil on canvas, finished with gloss damar varnish Size: 100 × 70 cm Year: 2024