The process of producing works – from performative sculptures and drawings to actions and performances – is a self-contained Maria Kulikovska's performative practice that raises questions about the difficult, invisible work of a woman, artist, woman artist, representative of the working class and precariat. Preparatory actions and monotonous work of creating art objects require titanic effort, teamwork, trust, unique knowledge, and long experiments in artistic research. The process of making molds from the body, for example, and then creating sculptures from them, is . an independent, long-lasting performative artwork, that is woven into all aspects of Maria Kulikovska's artistic practice, and which is created together and with the help of Oleh Vinnichenko – an architect-engineer, co-author and Kulikovska's husband.
The first half of 2017 year became the beginning of Maria Kulikovska's cooperation with Oleh Vinnichenko, and the result of their first common work was the full-sized sculpture-cast of Kulikovska's body – «My Second Xena. Rebirth». Since then, MKOV Studio has made all sculptures together, experimenting with materials and constructions. Creative contribution to creation of any performative sculptures is equally important. Understanding and seeing inequality and prejudice towards woman [and even more towards queer/bisexual woman] in everyday life, feeling his own responsibility [as a man] for the fight with the injustice of the patriarchal world, and even more so in the artistic environment, Oleh Vinnichenko voluntarily helps and supports by his life, knowledge, time and faith about of realization Maria's ideas.
His almost invisible role in the public, but the truly titanic work behind the scenes of the studio's official life, actualizes the well-known saying that behind every successful man was a strong woman. But the conditions are now favourable for the women to be recognized, supported, respected and be able to work, moreover – to compete – with men artists.
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