In SURFACE, Maryna Semenkova explores the intricate relationship between the body and its environment by deliberately reducing the range of sensory input and amplifying the awareness of contact with space. As part of the work, she covers her body with plaster — “I plastered all possible organs of perception with a plaster, leaving only the contact of my own body with the surface of the environment” — creating a physical condition in which touch, pressure, and proprioception become dominant modes of experience.

The performance unfolds as a radical experiment in embodied sensitivity: initial movement gives way to stillness, and an emergent internal sound reshapes her movement through the space. This process reflects a shifting internal logic, where external stimuli recede and the body becomes the primary interface for perception, connection, and transformation.

Presented at the Museum of Odesa Modern Art, Ukraine, and curated by Vera Ion Papadopoulou, SURFACE positions the performer’s body as both subject and site of investigation. Over 90 minutes, the work foregrounds the fragile boundary between self and environment, attuning audiences to the subtle dynamics of sensation, restriction, and release.

Full video documentation available upon request.

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