Olga Krykun's Cute Sunflowers Mask Violence at Clauda, Prague

Ukrainian artist Olga Krykun presents 'Stardust for Tomorrow' at Clauda in Prague through July 18, 2026. The exhibition features paintings of sunflowers with faces, using a soft palette and kitsch aesthetics borrowed from souvenirs and stationery. Krykun, who grew up in Odessa and now works between Prague and Japan, does not directly depict war but explores how cuteness can absorb violence. The gallery occupies a converted apartment on Veverkova Street, with domestic-scale works hung close together. A triptych on rough wooden panels shows closed-eye sunflowers with twisting stems. Another canvas clusters small round faces against a smoky ground. A third work features a pink bow across joined panels. The sunflower, a symbol of mourning and protest since 2022, appears without overt conflict references, questioning what cuteness hides.