This film screening is free to attend and held in English. It will be followed by a short open discussion with the artist on the topic of home.

"The courtyard is a model of the universe.
People are like planets in it; each has its orbit.
Microcosmos form and intertwine, and stars are born and go out.
And every city in Ukraine has its courtyard — its microcosmos.
Tell me about your yard; tell me about your dream.
We will launch it into the sky.
I am a part of the cosmos,
just like you."

MICROCOSMOS is a documentary project about life in the post-Soviet neighbourhood Polovky in Poltava (Ukraine) made at the end of 2021, two months before the outbreak of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War: The artist roams the neighbourhood as an astronaut. She talks with residents of Polovky about their dreams, life, and memories of their childhood in the yards where they live. After these encounters the artist performs at a stadium, launching their dreams out to space.

This event takes place as part of PRAKSIS residency 22: Repression, Expression, Violence, Creative Resistance; held in collaboration with PRIO and Motaz Habbash.

About Daria Pugachova

Daria Pugachova is an artist, performer and art activist born in Rivne, Ukraine. She studied architecture at the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture. From 2013 to 2019, she played drums in the band Panivalkova. Before the war, she lived and worked in Kyiv, performing in public space. In her projects, Daria uses participatory practices to unite communities and integrate art into daily life. She explores the themes of the transformation of place and society through the direct presence of the artist. Daria received the Golden Aesop Grand Prix at Gabrovo Biennial of Contemporary Art.