SUBSTITUTION

Opening of the 25th exhibition season of Triptych Art Gallery

2.02.25 - 21.02.25 Olesia Trofymenko

Substitution. The concept

One of the defense mechanisms of our psyche is substitution. This process consists in redirecting unwanted thoughts or feelings to more acceptable objects or actions. Initially, the issue of substitution was studied by Sigmund Freud and later refined by Lacan. Lacan argued that the unconscious is not just a collection of repressed memories and desires, but rather a realm that does not obey the laws of consciousness. The French psychoanalyst also believed that defense mechanisms are not just ways to avoid unpleasant thoughts or emotions, but rather, means of shaping our subjective experience.

The series “Substitution” illustrates the re-awareness of adaptive processes in the psyche that occur in the conditions of a full-scale war. When, in order to survive, the consciousness begins to replace the images of death and destruction with more familiar and aesthetically pleasing images. Looking through a photo of a Russian soldier's leg blown off by an explosion, I found myself thinking that this disemboweled meat reminded me of a red lily flower. It was this associative series that became the starting point of the series.

The exhibition presents most of the series

The exposition is complemented by images of people who continue to live their lives in the midst of the surrounding chaos.