Procrustean Bed

On March 9, Mercury Art Center, in collaboration with Rukh Art Hub, will present the exhibition Procrustean Bed, a project that examines how contemporary social and administrative systems compel individuals to conform to predefined norms. The exhibition explores the experiences of migration, bureaucracy, and so-called “integration,” where personal history, language, and identity are often reshaped in order to remain legitimate and visible. 

The exhibition is curated by Anna Avetova. Reflecting on the project, Anna notes:“Procrustean Bed examines how contemporary bureaucratic, social, and cultural systems shape the boundaries of what is considered ‘acceptable.’ Through lived experiences of migration and institutional pressure, the exhibition reveals how identity is continuously negotiated between personal reality and imposed structures.”

The exhibition brings together works by artists including Taras Haida, Anna Luhovska, Yurii Syvyryn, and Nikita Tsoy, among others, whose practices explore imposed roles, repetitive social scripts, and external expectations.

Through specific visual narratives and everyday situations, the exhibition reveals how anything that does not conform to established norms is perceived as excess or as an error requiring correction. The project’s title refers to a simple principle: if a person does not fit into a predetermined form, they must either change or disappear from visibility. 

A performative intervention will serve as a distinct element of the exhibition, engaging with themes of bodily and linguistic conformity. The performance highlights the tension between lived experience and the rigid frameworks into which it is forced through rules, requirements, and systemic expectations. A specially composed musical score for the exhibition will be performed by Mariia Yaremak, expanding the project’s exploration of bodily and linguistic conformity through sound.

The Ukrainian context within the project is presented not as an exception, but as a lens through which universal mechanisms of normalization become particularly visible. The experience of forced migration and constant verification renders these processes recognizable and accessible to an international audience. “Procrustean Bed” does not offer ready-made solutions. Instead, the exhibition raises questions about who defines norms, why they appear neutral, and what human cost they entail.