Stefaniia Bodnia

The multi-faceted research project provides insight into the poignant landscape of war-affected south-eastern Ukraine and sets out to theorise the complicity of resources as participants that influence and register instances of (geo-political) conflict. The project focuses on industrial colonisation of Donbas region in Ukraine through the lens of visual technologies such as drone and satellite imagery, adding a new layer of understanding in a wartime context.
The left image is a charcoal drawing of a landscape, while the right one is satellite footage of the Kreminna Mine, a mining area in the Donbas region, provided by a friend working for Ukrainian Intelligence. The satellite image was made to investigate activities on the land. This juxtaposition imprinted with charcoal ink highlights the material relationship between the human body, mined material, and geopolitics merging in one landscape.

The multi-faceted research project provides insight into the poignant landscape of war-affected south-eastern Ukraine and sets out to theorise the complicity of resources as participants that influence and register instances of (geo-political) conflict. The project focuses on industrial colonisation of Donbas region in Ukraine through the lens of visual technologies such as drone and satellite imagery, adding a new layer of understanding in a wartime context.
The left image is a charcoal drawing of a landscape, while the right one is satellite footage of the Kreminna Mine, a mining area in the Donbas region, provided by a friend working for Ukrainian Intelligence. The satellite image was made to investigate activities on the land. This juxtaposition imprinted with charcoal ink highlights the material relationship between the human body, mined material, and geopolitics merging in one landscape.

The book explores the history of mining and industrialisation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. It draws on a rich collection of images and documents sourced from Belgian and Ukrainian archives, including paintings, drawings, and grassroots photography. Among the featured works are Nikolay Kasatkin’s 1880s paintings of Donbas coal mining, which vividly portray the industrial transformation and the hidden, subterranean world where mining takes place, beyond the reach of human vision. Kasatkin paints the picture black, withholding the vision of the industrial workforce and political decisions. In this publication, the invisible voices of those reduced to mere material are brought to light, using my body as a narrative tool. Through a combination of poetry and charcoal drawings, the body is portrayed as more than just a resource, with the narrative unfolding as a piece of charcoal gradually exhausted across the pages.

The book explores the history of mining and industrialisation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. It draws on a rich collection of images and documents sourced from Belgian and Ukrainian archives, including paintings, drawings, and grassroots photography. Among the featured works are Nikolay Kasatkin’s 1880s paintings of Donbas coal mining, which vividly portray the industrial transformation and the hidden, subterranean world where mining takes place, beyond the reach of human vision. Kasatkin paints the picture black, withholding the vision of the industrial workforce and political decisions.

The book explores the history of mining and industrialisation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. It draws on a rich collection of images and documents sourced from Belgian and Ukrainian archives, including paintings, drawings, and grassroots photography. Among the featured works are Nikolay Kasatkin’s 1880s paintings of Donbas coal mining, which vividly portray the industrial transformation and the hidden, subterranean world where mining takes place, beyond the reach of human vision. Kasatkin paints the picture black, withholding the vision of the industrial workforce and political decisions.

The book explores the history of mining and industrialisation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. It draws on a rich collection of images and documents sourced from Belgian and Ukrainian archives, including paintings, drawings, and grassroots photography. Among the featured works are Nikolay Kasatkin’s 1880s paintings of Donbas coal mining, which vividly portray the industrial transformation and the hidden, subterranean world where mining takes place, beyond the reach of human vision. Kasatkin paints the picture black, withholding the vision of the industrial workforce and political decisions.

Project explores the multifaceted history and evolving significance of neon gas. Highlighting neon's journey from its natural abundance in the universe to its pivotal role in scientific advancements and geopolitical shifts, the work juxtaposes its past and present uses. Initially invisible, neon gas glows red when electrified, a phenomenon that found commercial appeal in advertising signs in the West. Central to the piece are ten illuminated electrons, representing neon's atomic structure, set against a backdrop steel structure of a found window grille from the turbulent 90’s in Ukraine and serves as a metaphor for the era's industrial and political upheaval. The Soviet Union's Cold War investments in neon gas for space-bound laser weapons left a legacy that extends into today's high-tech industries and shaped Ukrainian landscape. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, which disrupted nearly half of the global neon supply by shutting down major production plants in Odessa and Mariupol, underscores the fragility of these interconnected systems. The work tries to encapsulates the shift of neon's purpose—from a tool of military ambition to a cornerstone of semiconductor manufacturing—while inviting viewers to ponder the ethical complexities of technological progress and its enduring impact on our world. Through these contrasts, the project prompts reflection on the lasting impacts of Soviet industrialization, ecological damage, and the complex ethical considerations entwined with scientific progress and political change.

When a historical moment falls apart – into something unforeseen, something disparate, something intricate – we witness a divergence in the flow of time. The present starts to flicker, exposing and bursting the seams of reality. The gravity of the moment takes over entirely. Time becomes a fossil, an enduring and persistent ‘now’. The poster project for "A Time in Pieces" encapsulates its concept through the deliberate glitch of a riso printer, with the ink impressions of a misprint on paper scanned and composed into a visual narrative across 12 A1 posters. Framed by three arrows breaking away from their circular path, the design symbolises disruption. The use of Times font further enhances the poster's timeless quality.

Metal wires and knots serve as symbols of transformation and resistance amidst the chaos of an ongoing war. As they morph into various shapes, merge and take on different configurations for each exhibition held in different European cities, they parallel the evolving nature of the Biennale itself. Kyiv Perennial's poster weaves together disparate impressions, creating a seamless tapestry of shared artistic manifestation, strength and resilience expressed in the metal knots.

As part of the visual communication for Kyiv Biennial '23, a series of posters was developed in collaboration with Aliona Ciobanu for exhibitions held in Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Uzhhorod, Warsaw, Lublin, Antwerp, and Vienna. Metal wires and knots serve as symbols of transformation and resistance amidst the chaos of an ongoing war. As they morph into various shapes, merge and take on different configurations for each exhibition held in different European cities, they parallel the evolving nature of the Biennale itself. Kyiv Biennial's visual communication weaves together disparate impressions, creating a seamless tapestry of shared artistic manifestation, strength and resilience expressed in the metal knots.

Metal wires and knots serve as symbols of transformation and resistance amidst the chaos of an ongoing war. As they morph into various shapes, merge and take on different configurations for each exhibition held in different European cities, they parallel the evolving nature of the Biennale itself. Kyiv Perennial's poster weaves together disparate impressions, creating a seamless tapestry of shared artistic manifestation, strength and resilience expressed in the metal knots.

The content of the poster appears to feature symbols, protective amulets collected from the fences of villages in Ukraine.

The content of the poster appears to feature symbols, protective amulets collected from the fences of villages in Ukraine.

Polyester Palace is using the topic of bed as a lens to explore a topic of labor. By focusing on the use of a soft object like a polyester mattress, the publication is able to offer insights into the ways in which our relationship with work and leisure is evolving in the 21st century.

Polyester Palace is using the topic of bed as a lens to explore a topic of labor. By focusing on the use of a soft object like a polyester mattress, the publication is able to offer insights into the ways in which our relationship with work and leisure is evolving in the 21st century.

From a series of drawings reflecting the experience of fleeing.

This publication is a revival of Behind the State Capitol or Cinnaty Pike by queer american poet John Wienners. This book is based on its expirience, an examination of the medium of the poem, rhythm, white space, acoustic characteristics of the words on the paper reproduced in two interpretations: Wieners’ and the editor’s. The paired images hidden in the French folding feel rough, layering the original and the interpretation. Light and heavier, greyish types of paper alternate in different rhythms and voices of the content. The repetitive comparison of authentic and experienced poetry directs the dynamic of linear narration of two voices throughout the book.

This publication is a revival of Behind the State Capitol or Cinnaty Pike by queer american poet John Wienners. This book is based on its expirience, an examination of the medium of the poem, rhythm, white space, acoustic characteristics of the words on the paper reproduced in two interpretations: Wieners’ and the editor’s. The paired images hidden in the French folding feel rough, layering the original and the interpretation. Light and heavier, greyish types of paper alternate in different rhythms and voices of the content. The repetitive comparison of authentic and experienced poetry directs the dynamic of linear narration of two voices throughout the book.

“Representation is the production of the meaning of the concepts in our minds through language“. While the book is primarily focused on the production of meaning through language, it also touches on other aspects of semiotics, such as the role of visual images in shaping our understanding of the world.

“Representation is the production of the meaning of the concepts in our minds through language“. While the book is primarily focused on the production of meaning through language, it also touches on other aspects of semiotics, such as the role of visual images in shaping our understanding of the world.