The Delusion & Desire Project, developed during the „Spiegelhand“ Residency in Kyiv by Rina Riga and Konstantin Pütz, consists of a series of works that engage with the themes and emotional undercurrents of fairy tales. Rather than retelling these stories or reinforcing their traditional morals, the artists use them as a starting point to explore deeper contradictions between fantasy and reality. Some pieces embrace the mystical and magical elements of folklore, while others deliberately dismantle the illusions such tales create, revealing their emotional and psychological complexities.
A central work in the exhibition, the film "floating downstream on a bed of mercury", exemplifies this approach. It explores how subtle shifts in our perception of the everyday—through dislocation, replacement, or changes in opacity—can open portals into otherworldly states. The film exists in the tension between enchantment and disillusionment, where mystery and magic blur into the disappointment of reality’s predictability. Instead of offering clear answers, it raises questions: Where does the mystical reside? Do we need to alter reality to access it, or is the uncanny already embedded in the ordinary? Through this ambiguity, the film—like the wider project—invites viewers to reflect rather than resolve.
In Collaboration with Rina Riga
Location: Instytut Avtomatiky | Kyiv
Supported by:
Goethe Institute Kyiv, Nahirna22, Kunststiftung NRW, Ministerium for Kultur und Wissenschaft NRW