Painting by Yulianna Verba

This artwork was created in February of this winter, after I moved into a new studio heated only by a small wood stove, during days when the temperature outside dropped to - 18°C. February is a deeply symbolic month for all of us in Ukraine. This time, despite the cold, I chose not to freeze, but to keep moving. I worked on unprimed Ukrainian linen - an open surface, similar to an unprotected body. I began with poured acrylic stains that gradually evolved into forms resembling inner structures shaped in the psyche under pressure. Through these layers, bright accents emerged like flashes of hope, while expressive oil pastel strokes worked through the surface, marking presence. The painting does not depict an event but holds a state - an "after" in which memory has not yet settled into history, and faith in the future reveals itself through the very act of continuing the practice.