As the Russian invasion endures in Ukraine, I keep recalling memories from my
grandparents’ Brezhnevka* in Kyiv–we would spend hours on the balcony looking at
every single window, every little big life, sending messages in paper planes hoping they
would reach the other side. These apartments hold a vast array of people, heirlooms
and lived experiences that embody the complexity of Ukrainian culture.

Alison Klymchuk (she/her) is a Ukrainian-Canadian interdisciplinary artist that is based
on Treaty 13 land, in Tkaronto (Toronto). She explores the relationship between
movement and perception in expanded forms of painting, sculpture, installation and
urban intervention. Her process has organically evolved through the dynamics of
observing and mapping patterns in city spaces as they relate to social culture and
power structures. Alison holds a BFA with a minor in Art History from the University of
Victoria, located on unceded Lekwungen territory. Most recently, she was an artist in
residence at the Berlin Art Institute in Germany. Her work has been exhibited
throughout Canada at the Ministry of Casual Living Window Gallery, Coast Collective
Art Centre, Gallery 1313, and more.