A TIME TO PLANT AND A TIME TO DESTROY
(2022)«In her photo series, Maryna Shtanko shows how the binary oppositions of creation-destruction and life-death are archetypically assigned to the female or male gender. Historically, women were attributed the role of giving birth and raising children, i.e. the creation of life and its preservation; at the same time, men were mostly warriors, i.e. those who take life away. The artist illustrates this gender dichotomy through the botanical metaphor of interacting with a flower. War in the 21st century no longer functions according to these historical paradigms
— women serve with men in the military and men participate in childcare. Yet archetypal models still dictate social and legal norms
— men are conscripted, women are civilians».
Iryna Kurganska