“Words Have Faces” – After a long time-out, ARTpidval resumes exhibition activities with the opening of the debut solo exhibition of graphics by Yulia Nabokova, created for the poetry collections of Boris Grinev for 2023-2024.
The illustrations for the collections “Black and White War” and “Symphony of War” are a deep reflection on the theme of war, where the artist’s personal experiences intertwine with the poetic images of the author of the poems. Yulia created a unique graphic style that harmoniously complements and emphasizes the emotional richness of poetry.
From the artist’s concept: “The concept of “poetic graphics” was born in me while working on the exhibition, because creating a visual series for poems is a separate type of graphics that deserves its own name. Illustrations for poetry are a different level of metaphoricity, because, like poetry itself, they cannot be literal. Literalism destroys the very essence of poetry as a genre. Having a rhythmic and rhyme structure, poems have no face, and I created one for them.»
About the books: In April 2023, the collection of poems “Black and White War” was published. Yulia Nabokova reflected the contrast of war in the design of the book: white poems written in the author’s font stand out against a black background, which gives the collection an intimate diary character. The second of the books by Boris Grynyov illustrated by the artist – “Symphony of War” – will be presented during the exhibition in the gallery space. The concept of the publication embodies an allegory of music: war is presented as a symphony, divided into 4 parts – Praeambulum, Scherzo, Adagio, Finale.
Yulia Nabokova is a Ukrainian artist, graphic artist, animator and book designer. The artist is engaged in research into the theory and history of art.
Borys Hrynyov is a Ukrainian poet, author of the collections “Black and White War” and “Symphony of War”. His poetry is distinguished by the depth of emotions and the sharpness of social criticism.
Exhibition coordinators – Daria Gerasimova, Marina Koneva

On December 28, the presentation of Boris Grynyov’s poetry collection “Symphony of War” took place!
A cozy and inspiring meeting, during which we learned a lot of interesting things about the poems, illustrations and the collection itself from the artist Yulia Nabokova and Boris Grynyov.
Coordinators: Daria Gerasimova @gerasimova.dariia and Marina Koneva @marynakoneva
Reportage filmed by: Vasyl Golosny @vasilgolosnii