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Kamila Yanar & Sofia Gera
Artists Kamila Yanar and Sofia Gera have known each other since their time living in Donetsk, where their paths first crossed in 2012–2013. Although their experiences differ, they share a common loss that became the foundation for a deeper dialogue between them.
They began meeting regularly to revisit their personal archives. This process became a kind of re-traumatizing ritual that prompted conversations about what had been lost, misunderstood, or buried deep within the decision to remain silent about acquired traumas.
Over the eleven years since the occupation of Donetsk, memories have gradually become part of everyday life—through attempts to continue living while either “letting go” of the past or reliving it again and again. These memories evoke feelings of vulnerability and disconnection from home.
In response to the stigmatization experienced by people from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions—a reality they repeatedly encountered—the artists developed a sense of sisterhood and mutual dialogue that helped them endure the most painful experiences.
The work invites viewers to stand on the other side of the archival viewing process, emphasizing both its fragility and raising questions about the limits of empathy and the impossibility of fully sharing another’s experience.
Kamila Yanar is a Ukrainian artist from Shakhtarsk. She works with various media including video, photography, and installation. Much of her practice focuses on exploring human identity and addressing themes of forced migration, childhood, and coming of age. She studied at the Donetsk Art College and the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts (KSADA). She previously worked as a teacher at the art studio Azanizimaza. She lives and works in Kyiv.
Sofia Gera is a multidisciplinary artist from Donetsk working at the intersection of cinema, performance, and cultural activism. She studied cinematography at the I. K. Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television. In 2021, together with two artists from Donetsk, she initiated the art project INAKSHE, a space for researching the experience of occupation through artistic practices. In 2023, she became a co-founder of Alarm Productions, an independent film company focused on exploring subtle social and personal issues through creative documentary and hybrid films. She lives and works in Kyiv.