Traces of Memory, 2025

Iryna Tymovchak  

From the series “Between States”

This work unfolds as a space of layered memory — not linear, but embodied, fragmented, and sensed rather than clearly seen.

As in the broader “Between States” series, I work at the boundary between control and letting go. Lines that resemble bodily contours or traces of presence appear and dissolve within translucent layers of paint. The material moves freely — dripping, blurring, leaving marks — as if recording what cannot be held.

Vertical structures create a sense of an inner space, like memory that is stored not in words, but in the body. The soft, rounded forms at the lower part of the canvas suggest grounding — something primal and stable that remains even as other elements dissolve.

This is not a depiction of a specific landscape, but a state — between presence and disappearance, between touch and its echo.
Here, memory is not a fixed record of the past, but a living substance that shifts and continuously shapes the present.

I intentionally leave the work open, inviting the viewer not only to observe, but to feel — to recognize something of their own within these traces.

Technical Specifications & Shipping
This artwork is executed on unstretched canvas, emphasizing its organic and tactile nature.

* Dimensions (Unstretched): 160 × 150 cm
* Dimensions (When mounted on a stretcher frame): 150 × 140 × 2.5 cm
* Materials & Protection: The work is created with a minimal amount of oil pastel, applied in thin, delicate layers. To preserve the surface and ensure long-term stability, the artwork is sealed with several layers of professional fixative specifically designed for pastel works.
* Shipping: For safe transportation, the painting is carefully rolled in a heavy-duty tube. The surface is additionally protected with archival-grade parchment paper, which prevents friction and damage during transit. This method ensures the integrity of this type of work is fully preserved until it reaches its new home, where it can be professionally stretched.