Dark Tales group show at Folkestone
Dark Tales
17-21 October, 2025
In the heart of the Creative Quarter in Folkestone, at Eight Squared Gallery, there was Dark Tales, a contemporary art exhibition. Curator Irina Naumova invited six women artists to reflect on tales that continue to be told in modern society. The curator's idea was to reimagine the fairy tale as a personal mythology through different media. Featured photographs, paintings and objects represented beauty, nostalgia and self-expression.
In every darkness, there’s a light when the artist speaks. By reinterpreting the idea of the fairy tale as a timeless landscape of the mind, this exhibition aimed to showcase the bright voices of contemporary art that diminish the distinction between dream and myth, memory and imagination.
Natalia Alekna creates multifaceted collages with self-assertive women at the centre of the composition
Varvara Burtseva’s collage shows whimsical creatures that came from medieval times and were carefully brought into the contemporary context.
Natasha Antipova-Kaploukhaya shows her work with a man in a bright costume as if he came directly from a movie or a tale.
Daria Atamanovskaya proclaims a multi-layered statement about youth, femininity and post-Soviet melancholy. A bold play with the past, gender stereotypes and fashionable images in the featured photograph.
Gwen Grynfeld’s art practice runs through physical theatre, puppetry and painting. This show displays work on canvas about the resurrection of women's power.
Iryna Yauseyenka’s goats are fairy-tale creatures with detailed costumes and accessories.
