The Playground Talk. Romana Ruban

Posted in illustration on December 21st, 2022
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In her exhibition ‘The Playground Talk’, closing her residency at Officina Neukölln, Romana Ruban creates the echo of a dialogue between kids that she overheard during a trip to Odesa. The playground chitchat consists of dreams about the neighbor’s car and is carved into a zine with simple but lighthearted illustrations. The linocut prints appeal to both the inner child and the responsible adult. With these kids’ quotes, the artist wishes to show not only a playful childhood and the joy of simple things, but she also wants to bring up a few questions. Are we dreaming in the right direction? What do we stand for in the end?

The idea for a zine came up in 2021, right after the trip, but was on hold. Officina’s residency for artists in exile gave new layers and meanings to the imprint of the peaceful past, as Romana fled Ukraine to Germany after the full-scale invasion of Russia.

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