Ukrainian souvenir

Ukraine has been quickly acquiring the status of a sex tourism country, particularly since the introduction of a visa-free regime for Europeans in 2005. On 17 June 2019, during a visit to “Station F,” a Paris campus of startups, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that in our country “tourists always say that Ukraine is beautiful, there is a lot of tasty food, and moreover there are very beautiful people, especially women. Yes, it is all there, and it remains our brand.”

The “Ukrainian Souvenir” project is about the distorted image of a Ukrainian woman who has become a brand, having been stripped of human qualities and acquired the features of a “perfect” convenient option for marriage or sexual pleasure. She is a souvenir woman.

Tourist attractions of Kyiv that often appear on postcards and magnets from the capital were chosen as locations for the shoot. “Arena,” which is a Kyiv centre of prostitution arranged for foreigners, is also included.

The korovai, a symbol of hospitality as well as a ceremonial bread at Slavic weddings, was chosen as an attribute emphasizing the farce of the situation.