Lada Nakonechna. “Almost the Same.” 2012. Installation (photograph on the wall)

The work was created specifically for the ready-made space: photo wallpapers covering one of the walls on the second floor of the “Mystetskyi Arsenal” are essentially a photocopy of that very wall. The main difference between the photographic surface and the original brick is the inability to absorb light from the camera flash or from a professional exhibition lamp. Reflections that dazzle and “deafen” the viewer appear on the surface of the photo wallpaper. 

The work also serves as a metaphor within the framework of Nakonechna’s institutional critique. Covering the walls of the “Mystetskyi Arsenal” in almost the same way speaks about the political context in which the space as an exhibition venue finds itself: ambitions to create a “Ukrainian Hermitage,” plans to house Viktor Pinchuk’s collection, and ultimately — the opening of the National Cultural, Artistic, and Museum Complex subordinated to the Administration of the President of Ukraine. Nakonechna draws attention to the fact that the institution has never fully become a public asset, and therefore there is always a risk of finding an “invisible” barrier between its walls and the viewer’s gaze.