Yarema Malashchuk & Roman Khimei (Duo formed in 2016, Kyiv)

You Shouldn’t Have to See This (2024)

The silence of the video installation You Shouldn’t Have to See This (7’30’’ endless loop) emphasizes the blissful yet fragile moment of empathy brought about by the sight of sleeping children. At the same time, this act of observing triggers a feeling of unease. Khimei and Malashchuk filmed Ukrainian children who had been forcibly taken into Russian territory and later returned to Ukraine. The estimated numbers of those abductions range from 20,000 to over a million cases since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2014. While drawing attention to this heinous war crime, the artists offer a compelling account of childhood during the ongoing war.

By deliberately violating the boundaries of privacy, crossing the line between the loving gaze and voyeurism, Khimei and Malashchuk question the production of war images and examine their inherent conflict of representation: each such image is first and foremost evidence of a crime and only then and only potentially a work of art (one that should never have been created). The act of observing can lead to a false sense of involvement or to a feeling of relief that arises from the aesthetic qualities of the images. Nonetheless, authentic images and their existence in the public sphere serve as testimonies with genuine political impact.

Yarema Malashchuk & Roman Khimei (Collective founded 2016, Kyiv) work collaboratively as filmmakers and visual artists, exploring the intersections of documentary and fiction to engage with Ukraine’s recent history and present. Their work examines the lingering structures of post-imperial power and their impact on a new generation of Ukrainians, caught between historical trauma and an uncertain future.

Recent solo exhibitions include Kunstverein Hannover, Hannover, Germany (2025) and Galeria Arsenał, Białystok, Poland (2022). Selected group exhibitions include Albertinum, Dresden, Germany (2023); Castello di Rivoli, Turin, Italy (2022); and Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany (2022). Their video works are held in collections including Fondazione In Between Art Film; TBA21, Vienna, Austria; Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Vaduz, Liechtenstein; Kontakt, Vienna, Austria; Frac Bretagne, Châteaugiron, France; Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki, Finland; and Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. Their recent video-installation was presented at the 60th La Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy (2024).

You Shouldn’t Have to See This (2024) is presented thanks to the generous support of Vera Michalski.

Galerie Poggi is one of the leading galleries from the new generation in Paris. Founded in 2009 by curator and art historian Jérôme Poggi, the gallery, initially located in the North of Paris, opened a second space in 2014, and a third in October 2023 in front of the Centre Georges Pompidou. Now representing twenty two artists, the gallery is particularly recognized for its prospective work, which offers artists who are often on the margins of contemporary art and history of art, both institutional and economic recognition. It participates to the main international art fairs such as Art Basel (Paris), Art Basel (Basel), Art Basel (Miami), ARCO (Madrid), Armory Show (New-York), Frieze N°9 Cork Street (London), etc.