Installation view: Open World, 2025
Roman Khimei and Yarema Malashchuk. Pedagogies of War, Exhibition at Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, 2026
Photo: Maru Serrano / TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza, 2026
2025
Open World
two-channel video projection, sound, 19 min
A few years after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a boy who once fled the country returns through a robotic dog. His mechanical avatar wanders through his old neighborhood, visiting relatives, friends, and his childhood home. During this remote journey, he immerses himself in childhood memories and reconnects with his past. The work explores how children forced to leave their homeland maintain an emotional bond with it, and how technology, both a tool of war, reshapes their sense of belonging and resilience.
Installation view: Open World, 2025
Roman Khimei and Yarema Malashchuk. Pedagogies of War, Exhibition at Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, 2026
Photo: Maru Serrano / TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza, 2026
Installation view: Open World, 2025
Joy, PinchukArtCentre, Kyiv, Ukraine, 2026
Photo: Ela Bialkowska OKNO studio
Directed and Filmed by
Yarema Malashchuk and Roman Khimei
Protagonist
Yaroslav Adamov
Cast
Natalia Adamova
Rodion Adamov
Misha Burtsev
Danyl Zinchenko
Nazar Zinchenko
Adrian Rejdak
Editors:
Roman Khimei, Yarema Malashchuk, Phillip Sotnychenko
Sound
Andrii Borysenko
Oleh Holoveshkin
Colorist
Vadym Khudoliy
Сasting
Valeriia Sochyvets
Graphic Design
Ostap Yashchuk
Line Producers
Tetyana Pidgaina
Iryna Borkovska
Sound on Set
Kateryna Herasymchuk
Produced by
Alina Gorlova, Roman Khimei, Yarema Malashchuk
Special Thanks to
Adam Simons, Amy Kim, Chloe Hodge, Chus Martinez,
Khortytsia National Training and Rehabilitation Academy
Technical Support
Brit Alliance
Burevii, Ukrainian Military Technologies
Commissioned by
RIBBON International
Commissioned by
Thyssen-Bornemisza Contemporary for the 36th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts
Co-commissioned by
Pontevedra Biennial
Production by
TABOR
Yarema Malashchuk and Roman Khimei
Protagonist
Yaroslav Adamov
Cast
Natalia Adamova
Rodion Adamov
Misha Burtsev
Danyl Zinchenko
Nazar Zinchenko
Adrian Rejdak
Editors:
Roman Khimei, Yarema Malashchuk, Phillip Sotnychenko
Sound
Andrii Borysenko
Oleh Holoveshkin
Colorist
Vadym Khudoliy
Сasting
Valeriia Sochyvets
Graphic Design
Ostap Yashchuk
Line Producers
Tetyana Pidgaina
Iryna Borkovska
Sound on Set
Kateryna Herasymchuk
Produced by
Alina Gorlova, Roman Khimei, Yarema Malashchuk
Special Thanks to
Adam Simons, Amy Kim, Chloe Hodge, Chus Martinez,
Khortytsia National Training and Rehabilitation Academy
Technical Support
Brit Alliance
Burevii, Ukrainian Military Technologies
Commissioned by
RIBBON International
Commissioned by
Thyssen-Bornemisza Contemporary for the 36th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts
Co-commissioned by
Pontevedra Biennial
Production by
TABOR