The idea for a space to represent Ukrainian design ideas appeared during the Revolution of Dignity in 2013. The ground floor of an old mansion in Kharkiv is not exactly the mainstream idea of a modern-day exhibition space, but the energy of the house and its location right near the Academy of Design made Svoyeridne a favorite place of communication and interaction among artists, designers and architects. This is a place where one can also listen to lectures on art, take part in an architectural conference or presentation.
The area does not resemble a living space, but rather an art laboratory, a place to experiment with objects, paintings and light. The decoration materials have been used in a non-standard way here. One will see fireplace tiles on the walls, stylized Ukrainian carpets painted on concrete floor, benches on chains, resembling traditional Ukrainian rural style ‘goidalkas’.
The exposition changes all the time. In terms of our exposition management, we purposefully keep the dissonance between the otherworldly harshness of grand paintings and the utilitarian images of the objects we present to our visitors. As of today, ‘Svoyeridne’ is the flagship store of its kind in Ukraine.