Natalia Matsenko & Yuri Yefanov

Natalia Matsenko is an independent curator, art critic, and lecturer. She focuses on the landscape and environment transformations, human and non-human communities and networks, new media, and cultural heritage preservation.
Natalia’s practice is connected with relations between ecological and political action and art, and its short and longterm impact on the environmental systems. Born in Cherkasy, Ukraine. Graduated from the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, with a Master's degree in Theory and History of Art. In recent years, she curated exhibitions and residencies in Germany, Ukraine, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, Mexico etc. Several projects have been made in cooperation with the European External Action Service. Was a fellow curator at Kunstmuseum Bochum, Germany (2022—2024) and recently was in curatorial residence at Cité internationale des arts, Paris.

Yuri Yefanov is a Ukrainian artist and filmmaker whose work explores the otherworldly digital dimensions through computer-generated imagery. His practice examines the interactions between everyday life and politics by creating his digital systems and mythologies. His projects have been exhibited at numerous venues including the Rotterdam International Film Festival, Oberhausen Kurzfilmtage, Genève Centre d'art contemporain, PinchukArtCentre, and others. His practice is focused on the future, landscapes, war, and ecology. He is using a game engine to generate digital simulations of various decentralized societies. Within these virtual domains, he cultivates utopian visions of the distant future of humanity. Originating from Crimea, which experienced occupation in 2014, the artist frequently incorporates this landscape into his work. Through the process of digital simulation, he reactivates "ghost areas" and restores the connection between the landscape and the collective memory of it.