Misha Friedman

Donbass Romanticism In the second half of the 18th century romantics revolted against the Industrial revolution in Europe - against rationalization of nature, against social and political norms. In art, a viewer once again was allowed to use his emotions and imagination. Inspired by German and French Romanticism, this ongoing project from Ukraine is my attempt to show how Nature and Man have learned to live within the industrial complex. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, much of Eastern Ukraine ended up ruined – many mines and massive factories are lying abandoned, people are unemployed or earn just enough to survive – abandoned by the government - and nature is taking over in full force. For decades this land was a symbol of Soviet Rationalism and victory over Nature, but it did not take long for all of that to crumble, leaving behind ruined lives.