Ukrainian artist duo Interesni Kazki teamed up with Studio Cromie from Grotagglie, Italy for their solo show “Inter Arma Silent Musae.” The show features new ink drawings and paintings created over the last couple of months. This exhibition is a rare opportunity to see studio works by Waone and Aec, who are better known for the fairytale-like murals they’ve painted everywhere from Mexico to India. “Inter Arma Silent Musae” was staged in an impressive tomb-like interior of Bottega Papocchia and their fantastical, detailed works felt at home on these antiquated stone walls.
The title of the show is a variation of a Latin proverb meaning “In times of war, the muses fall silent,” a saying they chose to symbolize the recent events in their homeland. Due to the ongoing political violence in Ukraine, both artists felt unable to create, so for a time they put away their brushes and pens. Finding the creative energy and time to paint was hard, but the emotional situation resulted in some of the most complex works the duo has ever produced. Both Waone and Aec presented new ink drawings and mid to large-sized canvases as well as a print release.
For these new works, Interesni Kazki mix their personal experiences with numerous traditional, mythological and religious influences from around the world. Through their rich visual language — which incorporates enigmatic symbols, creatures and recurring characters — they construct surreal images that are tiny microcosms in and of themselves.
A few weeks ago, we gave readers a small taste of the many, enormous murals that went up at