MILAN.- Oksana Mas’ first personal exhibition in Italy reflects deeply on the quintessence of her journey as a seasoned artist, and also a philosopher, a subtle observer and researcher of social, cultural and spiritual connections of modern society.

“Spiritual cities” combines very different projects and focuses on the idea of Transformation. By reliving this transformation, she appeals to her audience to analyze and see the divine transfiguration that sometimes takes place within oneself and in the world around us.

Religion and confessional differences are the main subject in her research, and during the creation of “Spiritual cities” Oksana seriously deepened her knowledge of various cultures and theology.

She poses the questions: What is spirituality of today? What are the spiritual foundations of modern society? Is there room for their transformation and use for modern people? What are the reasons behind confessional wars in our era of technological progress?

By transforming renowned orthodox icons into pixel compositions Oksana unexpectedly recreates a 1920 supremacist icon by Nikolai Suetin. Several works, which are laced together into an installation, allude to Malevich’s “Black Square.”

Though a master of vibrant color, she unravels the depths of black, and works exquisitely with white. This choice triggers a dialogue with the minimalist works of Italian artists of the mid 20th century from MA*GA permanent collection.

"Spiritual Cities" also unites several series of art-works, envisioning the ideal world of the future. Oksana creates in museum spaces her territory of the future through dialogue with the past. She is fascinated by technical progress and the possibilities it offers. In "Helium 3" she refers to one of the key future energy sources, already discovered by scientists but not yet developed.

"Energy clots," made in the form of two-meter and three-meter semi-spheres, are destined to provide the Earth with power one day. The objects’ form alludes to Pop Art, connecting once again tradition and innovation, elaborating the art trends of the 20th century and rethinking them in the contemporary cultural context.

Born and raised in Odessa, Ukraine, Oksana Mas is a visionary whose work spans sculpture, installation, architectural design, painting, drawing, and photography. Fascinated with questions of science and religion, her work blurs the boundaries between abstraction and figuration, relational art and neo-expressionism, biomorphism and digital art. She is the founder and artistic mastermind behind ArtTogether, a global interactive art project of monumental scale.

In 2012, Oksana won the Independent Critics Prize at the 65th Locarno International Film Festival. A year later, she exhibited in the Collateral Events program of the 55th Venice Biennale within “Glasstress” exhibition, as a follow-up to the display of her solo exhibition “Post-vs-Proto-Renaissance” in the Ukrainian pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale in 2011.