"New MYPhologies"

On June 1, 2023, the conceptual and art photography school "MYPH" founded by Sergey Melnitchenko and the contemporary art center "YermilovCenter" opened an exhibition project. 
"New MYPhologies" is part of a series of anniversary events celebrating the 5th anniversary of the school's founding.

The realization of the collective project "New MYPhologies" took a long path, as the exhibition was initially supposed to open in May 2022. However, the full-scale invasion of russia into Ukraine changed the lives of millions of Ukrainians, along with the fate of the project and its participants. The project coordinator and founder of the School of Conceptual and Art Photography "MYPH," Segey Melnitchenko, notes: "From the first days, we have been helping the Armed Forces of Ukraine, volunteers, and the people of Ukraine. Despite the war, the School continued its educational and exhibition activities and prepared two groups of new and promising graduates who also participated in the project New MYPhologies."

The works, selected through an open call, of 28 authors formed the exhibition's exposition. The emphasis on the artistic aspect at MYPH encourages students to expand the boundaries of the photographic medium. Therefore, in addition to photography, the exhibition includes art objects, installations, and video art.

"Today, there is no need to convince anyone of the importance of the work of cultural institutions during wartime. Communication between art institutions in Ukraine is a requirement of the time. It is essential to go beyond our 'bubbles,' create new connections, collaborate on projects, and travel around Ukraine. Not to evacuate but to travel. This stimulates development, gives rise to new ideas, and creates new opportunities for future projects. There is a huge need for communication, professional interaction not only in an online format but in person. Today's audience is thirsty for meanings, so we must convey them in the language of contemporary art. Currently, MYPH is in Kharkiv, and I hope we will soon launch a project in Mykolaiv," comments the project coordinator and director of the YermilovCenter, Natalia Ivanova.

The title "New MYPhologies" is a play on words that combines the school's abbreviation with the topic of myth-making. Mythological thinking is fundamental in art, and this ancient form of perceiving and understanding the world appeals to the sensory, emotional interpretation of reality and its imaginative expression. According to the project curator Irina Antones, artists naturally create their worlds and symbolic systems, interpreting the realities of modernity through personal, intuitive expression, which sometimes takes various and whimsical forms.

The project focuses on constructed personal worlds that exist by their own rules and are populated by contemporary gods and heroes. It also explores new legends and myths that the authors tell through photography and new media art. In this project, the authors also seek answers to the questions about how each individual author's myth fits into a broader narrative and how it contributes to the system of collective MYPhology.

Authors presented in the exhibition:
Tetiana Mytsyk, Anastasiia Antonenko, Volodymyr Demkiv, Olia Koval, Natali Agryzkova, Li Biletska, Diana Fedoriaka, Veronika Mol, Olha Lobazova, Irina Kabish, Xenia Petrovska, Katia Kravets, Anton Malynovskyi, Tetyana Udovichenko, Olena Lemberska, Olesia Saenko, Alina Lysak, Alesia Tyshchuk, Milla Po, Eva Holts, Olena Kosovych, Pasha Youz, Mary Jane, Yana Hryhorenko, Polina Laptii, Alina Panasenko, Oleksandra V'iazinko, Artem Humilevskyi, Savka