Face to the Pain

2021-2022, Painting, Oil, Levkas, Canvas , Contemporary

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In Face to the Pain, Krystyna Melnyk depicts the torso of a boy, whose skin is covered with the consequences of disease. The young body, still in a state of formation, symbolizes a society in constant development, although, in this case, already decaying from within. Focusing on the topic of pain, the artist doesn’t dwell on its cause but rather uses illness as a metaphor for war—a battle between life and death. The work highlights the duality of empathy: the complex emotions one experiences when confronted with the pain of the other.

In her practice, Melnyk consistently uses levkas, a primer traditionally used in icon painting, which imbues the piece with a sense of sacredness. A gradual glazing process takes months of meticulous work, forcing the artist to constantly and literally face the image of the pain.

Valeria Schiller

Art historian, writer, and curator of contemporary art

Digital original details

Format
Digital Original Standard
Resolution
400 MPX
Color depth
48 bit 281 Trillion Colors
Original file size
605 MB DNG File

Physical original details

Country
Ukraine
Years
2021-2022
- Styles
  - Contemporary
- Medium
Physical canvas
185cm x 270cm
Framing
No framed

Krystyna Melnyk

Krystyna Melnyk is a Ukrainian artist, who works with concepts such as the classical and the sacred through imagery. Her creative method is an attempt to find an approach to experiencing the sacred.

Summary of Krystyna Melnyk

Melnyk’s art explores the dual power of images, aiming to convey the sensation of the sacred through the concept of the suffering body. She perceives her works as icons, incorporating levkas, a traditional material for icon painting.

Biography of Krystyna Melnyk

The artist was born in Melitopol, Ukraine, in 1993. Her early foundational training in the arts took place at the Melitopol High College of Culture (2010-2014) and continued at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture (2014-2018). She also attended the Contemporary Art Course at the Kyiv Academy of Media Arts.

In 2019, she completed a course on video art at Viktor Marushchenko's School of Photography, curated by Alina Kleytman. In 2022, she was nominated for the Pinchuk Art Prize.

Krystyna Melnyk’s paintings have been featured in numerous exhibitions, including those at Kyiv Acadamy of Media Arts, The Naked Room Gallery, and Voloshyn Gallery, among other venues.

Krystyna Melnyk’s Famous Paintings: Exploring the Sacred

The artist has created a substantial body of work, with titles that incorporate sacred terminology, such as "Altarpiece." These titles follow a sequence of Roman numerals and are part of a larger project the artist has been developing recently—a grand altar.

Krystyna Melnyk’s original paintings include “Altarpiece I” (2023), “Altarpiece II” (2023), “The Bones That Will Become Garden” (2023), “Hidden” (2022), and many more. Krystyna Melnyk’s paintings for sale are available at the auction on the UFDA website.

Krystyna Melnyk’s Art Style

Inspired and influenced by Georges Bataille and particularly his text “Histoire de l'œil”, the artist seeks to convey a sense of the sacred through the idea of the suffering body, as described by the philosopher. Melnyk engages with the world of sacred feelings not only metaphysically: the artist incorporates levkas and oil into her works. Traditionally used in iconography, these materials provide greater durability to the pieces, which often require extended periods to create.

Since the onset of the full-scale invasion, Krystyna increasingly identifies herself as an iconographer rather than an artist. Even her early works were tied to reflections on the perception of war’s past. In those pieces, the artist contemplated why World War II occurred. At the time, it was difficult to imagine such events repeating. Now, Krystyna’s body of work appears prophetic.

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