Once Leda Found an Egg - Blue Like a Hyacinth
On February 22, 2025, Rukh Art Hub and Mriya Gallery were proud to present an exhibition by renowned Ukrainian artist and performer Maria Kulikovska. Titled Once Leda Found an Egg — Blue Like a Hyacinth, the show marks Kulikovska’s debut in New York, showcasing her powerful body of work that critiques the abuse of power, highlights feminist resistance alongside the enduring fight for freedom and democracy.
Maria Kulikovska is celebrated internationally for her bold feminist stance and critique of the systemic violence inflicted on women’s bodies. Her work has been exhibited at prestigious institutions, including the Francisco Carolinum Museum in Linz, Neue National Galerie in Berlin, Ludwig Museum in Budapest, and The Albertinum in Dresden.
Kulikovska’s artistic practice is deeply rooted in personal and national histories. Her work reflects the traumatic consequences of war, forced migration, and the ongoing struggle for self-expression and bodily autonomy. Born in Kerch, Crimea, Kulikovska was banned from her homeland following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Her political performances, which critique Russian aggression and the authoritarian regime, have placed her on Russia’s intelligence "blacklist," subjecting her to surveillance and persecution. Despite these threats, she has continued to stage protest actions across Ukraine and Europe, amplifying her resistance to colonial and patriarchal structures.
Notable among her actions are Raft Crimea. A Displaced Parliament of Displaced and Act of Solidarity originated in Kyiv and have since been performed in Liverpool, Malmö, Vienna, and Barcelona. In 2014, the same year she was banned, Russian forces seized the international art center Izolyatsia in Donetsk, where Kulikovska’s work had been exhibited alongside artists like Cai Guo-Qiang and Pascale MarthineTayou. The center was transformed into a prison and torture chamber, and Kulikovska’s sculptures—casts of her own naked, vulnerable body—were destroyed. These casts, symbolic of resilience and vulnerability, were later found in fragments by prisoners.
Reflecting on these events, Kulikovska’s work seeks to emancipate women’s bodies and empower voices resisting oppressive power structures. “In my work, I only create and speak about what I’ve experienced because I don’t think I have the right to do anything else,” says Kulikovska.
In Ukraine, Kulikovska launched the feminist initiative Flowers of Democracy, which challenged societal norms with a line of clothing featuring images of her vulva—garnering both acclaim and critique. The exhibition at Mriya Gallery, Once Leda Found an Egg — Blue Like a Hyacinth, delves into themes of motherhood, trauma, and survival. It features casts of Kulikovska’s body, reminiscent of those destroyed at Izolyatsia, as well as casts of her limbs used in performances, documentation of her politically charged actions, and recent videos and drawings reflecting on the complex realities of motherhood during wartime.
“The exhibition title draws from a fragment of Sappho’s lost verse. The threats of assault by someone in power, reflected in the myth about Zeus and Leda are ever-present,” says curator Maria Vtorushina.
The exhibition features drawings by Maria Kulikovska's daughter, Yeva Kulikovska-Vinnichenko, as well as sculptures created in collaboration with Oleh Vinnichenko. This exhibition offers an exploration of Kulikovska’s journey and her unwavering commitment to resistance, art, and the fight for justice.
