The Wild Hunt, a celestial procession feared by the peoples of northern Europe, an element that brings disaster, in the imagination of young artist Stefan Stoykov from the Odessa region turns into a whirlpool of homages, visual references and expressive folklore images. The artist creates works that are both frightening and hypnotic, exploring themes of sinister sexuality, anxiety, the struggle with inner monsters and rebirth. According to the author, he explores “a person alone with himself and the world around him”.
In the paintings and graphics of the Open Call 2025 finalist, one can find the influence of Gothic icon painters, Pieter Bruegel, Da Vinci and Raphael, Peter Rubens, Henry Fuseli and William Blake, Dore’s illustrations for the Sacred Scriptures, the Divine Comedy and the Elder Edda, the graphics of Sacha Schneider or Odilon Redon, film directors Alfred Hitchcock and Robert Eggers. This is a true intellectual dialogue with world culture.
Characters from ancient legends, literary texts, folk folklore and video games are combined in poetic harmony. The color scheme and dancing drawing, unexpected for Nordic plots, create the mood of a neo-pagan holiday.
The exhibition presents watercolor graphics and large-format works made in oil and acrylic. The exhibition is dedicated to myth as a collective unconscious that unites our common fears and fantasies.

Artist: STEFAN STOYKOV
Instagram @stef.stoikov
Facebook @Stephan Stoykov
Exhibition coordinators: Daria Gerasimova, Yevhen Danylenko

Poster design: Instagram @2563q1