My participation in the Lviv Autumn Salon “High Castle” spans different periods of my artistic practice. I received Salon diplomas in 2004, 2005, and 2012, and took part in the exhibition again in 2013.

The idea of the art salon itself matters to me. Its history extends far beyond any single exhibition. From the European salon tradition to its later national interpretations, this format has created an open space where different generations, genres, artistic schools, and ways of thinking can be represented at the same time.

In Lviv, “High Castle” has carried this idea into a contemporary Ukrainian context. For many years, it has brought together artists of different generations and disciplines at the Lviv Palace of Arts, not only from Lviv but also from other regions of Ukraine and abroad.

For me, the Salon’s value lies in the freedom it gives different practices to coexist. Painting, graphic art, sculpture, decorative art, and other forms appear side by side without having to follow a single stylistic programme. The exhibition thus becomes a portrait of the artistic community at a particular moment in time.

The Salon serves another important purpose: it brings new artists into view. Young artists exhibit alongside established figures, and participation in a major exhibition can be one of their first steps into the professional art world. I remember that feeling from my own experience.

Taking part in “High Castle” across different years also allows me to see how my own work has changed. Nearly a decade of exploration separates the works I presented in 2004–2005 from those shown in 2012–2013: changes in my visual language, subjects, techniques, and understanding of painting itself.

For me, then, “High Castle” is more than an entry in my exhibition history. It is part of the artistic community of Lviv, where I developed as an artist and to which I later returned with new works and new experience.