“Ryadno,” 2025

stitched pieces of fabric, metal bed frame

At the MUHi 2026 exhibition, the artist presents his project Ryadno. Pieces of fabric stitched together cover an old metal bed frame. These scraps may once have been part of something warm and domestic: bed linen, a comfortable shirt, or a tablecloth. In the context of war, however, the artist’s fellow soldiers used them to clean their weapons.

“We tore the fabric into pieces with our hands, carelessly, roughly and brutally, used it, and threw it away. At one point, all of us happened to cross paths in the war; we gathered together around it, each of us carefully cleaned our rifle, and then continued on our separate paths,” the artist explains.

By stitching together the oil-soaked pieces of fabric, the artist transforms a utilitarian object into a tactile metaphor for military brotherhood. Ryadno brings together those who fought side by side and creates a physical space of remembrance for the community of people who once held this fabric in their hands.

Dmytro Kupriyan was born in Kyiv in 1982. He began his career as a photojournalist for news agencies before turning his attention to documenting torture and state violence. This led to the creation of Tortured, a project examining violence in the Ukrainian police force and its consequences. Expanding his exploration of violence in its broader social and political dimensions, Kupriyan developed a series of projects about the war in Ukraine, including Fragments of War, The Banality of Aggression, and When the War Ends. More recently, his practice has shifted toward the theme of dialogue as a means of reconciliation within society. Alongside his artistic work, he is deeply interested in the history of Ukrainian navigation. He regularly sails the Dnipro River and the Black Sea aboard the Spas, a traditional chaika boat built in 2007 by a group of enthusiasts. As a crew member, he serves as a sailor, boatswain, mechanic, and woodworker. In 2015, following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Kupriyan was called up from the military reserve. During his service, he continued photographing and developing projects focused on the war. After his demobilization, he worked on a long-term project dedicated to Mount Hoverla, as well as the photographic series HOME/Home, exploring the human living environment, and HOMO/Human, which investigates questions of identity. Following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he was mobilized again into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served in the assault company of the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Kostiantyn Ostrozkyi and later as a press officer in the 158th Separate Mechanized Brigade. During his military service, he initiated new projects about the war, including Reclaimed Land, Riadno, and The Art of War, or How to Care for an Assault Rifle, while continuing to develop his earlier bodies of work. Dmytro Kupriyan is a member of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers.

Photographer: Anton Sorochak