The exhibition Pairs Skating explores the artistic kinship between Wolfgang Tillmans and Boris Mikhaïlov, tracing connections in conceptual focus, central motifs, and artistic language transcending geography, political contexts, and cultural ambiance.

Presented by RIBBON International at the YermilovCentre in Kharkiv, this exhibition marks a significant moment for the city, and Ukraine’s wider artistic community. The title of the exhibition, borrowed from figure skaters moving in unison, provides an apt metaphor for two artists, who, despite growing up in vastly different political, cultural, and artistic environments, share a strikingly common photographic language. Through their lens, both artists capture the fragility, resilience and humour inherent in the human condition, the vulnerability of the body, and the notion of restriction—whether political, social, or personal.

Pairs Skating features examples of the most significant works from both artists, each carefully selected to highlight how Tillmans and Mikhaïlov speak to the past, the present, and the future of photography.

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