Cross Talk

The Cross Talk exhibition by Ilya Sprinzhuk is part of a series of exhibitions entitled ‘New JEDNOSTKA’, which presents projects by artists emerging on the Polish art scene

Cross Talk explores the connection between sacred symbols and childhood toys – two systems through which a person learns to structure reality from an early age. Toys become the first ‘sacred’ objects: a child assigns them protective powers, builds rituals around them, and through play creates a ‘potential space’ (as described by Donald Winnicott), a zone between reality and fantasy where they feel safe.

For adults, this function can be taken over by religious symbols, more complex and collective structures that define the boundaries of morality and fear. Rituals become a way to impose order on social life, just as a child controls the imaginary world through play. The project shows how personal memories of childhood toys intertwine with collective perceptions of sacred forms, and how both systems help cope with the chaos around us. This project is not about the symbols themselves, but about our inner need for them.

As part of the project, Sprindzhuk conducted interviews in which he asked people about their childhood religious experiences and invited them to show a toy from that time. Each painting is based on the received responses and stories. By selecting and reinterpreting symbols recurring in these interviews, the artist creates a dialogue between memory and image.

Sound installation: Raman Sauchuk