Winter … How do you see it? For someone, it’s New Year’s Eve or Christmas, someone sees the snow-covered fields, and someone likes a fire and coziness. A couple of Lviv independent filmmakers Sashka and Darina Balabaiv looked at the urbanistic winter, which was seen through the lens of their own reflections and memories

Photo artists are special people. They are able to see the world in such a way that they force us to look around with their eyes. At the photo exhibition that recently opened at the music school named after Victor Kosenko, you will see the winter city through the eyes of reportage and filmmaking masters.
The professional achievements of the authors of ‘URBAN WINTER 32 / URBANISTIC WINTER 32» by Balabaiv couple became works within the framework of the «Tower» festival, the Year of Ivan Levynsky, «French Spring» in Lviv, the exhibition «Angels» and the project «Special Dreams and Professions.» Documentary is another genre in which they have skillfully realized themselves: their sensitive and poignant documentary Borshch on People with Disabilities won a prize at the 2017 WorldFest Anniversary Festival in Houston (USA). And it was only in the coming year that the artists decided on the exhibition, and the urban space came into the lens – a city to which Sashko and Darina looked from a completely different perspective, moving away from the ordinary understanding of things.
Reflections of artists, artmasters in the perception of the world around them were transformed into an exhibition – the result of artistic experiment and creative search. Mysticism and the play of shadows, light and foreshortenings, subtle fractures of rays that flash on a natural background – all this is «URBAN WINTER 32/URBANISTIC WINTER 32».
But you won’t find any longing in black and white. The perception of winter Balabaiv couple is pleased with some optimism, at least the amount of winter city did not cause artists. The openness of the space has made it possible to show viewers a winter with no ornaments and bright colors, but definitely attractive in its natural setting. Photographic work is not the result of deep post-processing – just the skill and the courage to experiment. The main thing is that the creative look cut off everything unnecessarily, and demonstrated the ability to see the new in familiar things and everyday environment.
«We started the project this winter, which was quite snowy and sometimes seemed like a long time. In the search for interesting frames, we paid attention to unusual contours, silhouettes and shadows against the background of snow. It was especially interesting to take pictures when the snow just fell, we tried to capture these moments of inviolability. Hence the white floor beneath your feet. Further, after looking at thousands of photos taken during the winter months, we stopped at 32 pieces – a symbol of that long winter that will never end. And the main question that has come before us is how to convey our winter feelings to the Spectator. Our children’s Memories have already worked here. As a child, Sasha and I lived on the ground floor and laundry was usually hung in the yards of our homes – from there, such a huge drying process arose. The clothing that hangs between the paintings is part of the usual everyday environment, among which artistic images are viewed. All we have to do is find them.»
Though, the winter isn’t in a hurry, make a wish to plunge into the atmosphere of memories and fantasies created for Zhytomyr by married couple of independent film directors – Sashko and Darina Balabai. The URBAN WINTER32 art project awaits the residents of Zhytomyr and the guests of the city in the premises of Zhytomyr School of Music named after Victor Kosenko at the address: Zhytomyr, str.Pushkinska, 28.