A perspective on the visionary world of FluRanet by Myroslava Hromova, a Cultural Studies student of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
Tucked away on the slopes of Andriivskyi Descent, near Zamkova Hora and the monument to Mykola Hohol, lies the FluRanet Gallery — a place that feels both mysterious and utterly unlike anything else in Kyiv.
A set of old wooden stairs leads visitors first into a bright, intimate room filled with small-format drawings, sculptural compositions, and delicate miniatures. But this is only the beginning. From here, a portal opens into another dimension entirely.
A pitch-black space unfolds — saturated with the scent of incense, pulsing psytrance rhythms, and radiant neon canvases. Above your head stretch fractal patterns that merge into an otherworldly, almost alien flower. It’s overwhelming in the best way: your eyes dart from detail to detail, unable to grasp the whole at once.
At this point, the gallery’s owner, Serhii, steps in. I was fortunate enough to experience what felt like a private curator’s tour led by him. With a playful warning that he can read every thought related to the gallery, he begins his story.
FluRanet has existed since 2000 and focuses on visionary art — a genre that translates imagery from altered states of consciousness, trance, and spiritual ecstasy into physical forms such as painting, sculpture, and ceramics. These works act as bridges between realities, offering glimpses into metaphysical experiences and unseen layers of perception.
The core of the exhibition revolves around two Ukrainian artists: N_Zigo and Nita Kravets.
Kravets, who spent most of her life in Enerhodar, worked with the gallery from 2000 to 2023. Her artistic evolution is clearly visible through reproductions displayed here. Early works echo influences of Maria Prymachenko, while later pieces become more fluid, less geometric, and increasingly dynamic. Her signature fluorescent palette softens over time, shifting toward subtler contrasts.
She worked quickly and intuitively — each piece capturing a single emotional or altered state. Once that state passed, she would abandon the work, regardless of its completion. Importantly, she worked exclusively with paint and brush, believing only this medium could transmit the necessary depth of experience.
In contrast, Andrii Kukla (N_Zigo), originally from Sumy, takes a radically different approach. His works can take months or even years to complete. He begins with sudden visions, sketching them rapidly on a graphic tablet upon waking. These fragments are later developed digitally, revisited only when new visions emerge to fill in missing layers.
His hybrid technique is particularly fascinating: when digital tools fall short, he prints the artwork, adds details by hand, scans it back in, and continues working digitally. His goal is total reconstruction of the vision — though limited by human perception, he builds it piece by piece over time.
After this introduction, Serhii offers special glasses that separate colors into layers. The already mesmerizing paintings suddenly deepen — as if one could almost step beyond the cosmic fog or behind a luminous tree and discover what lies beyond.
The entire gallery functions as a fully immersive environment: sound, scent, darkness, and surreal décor dissolve the boundary between observer and artwork. It genuinely feels like stepping into another reality.
Ultimately, FluRanet operates as a multimedia ecosystem, where visual, auditory, and olfactory elements merge into a singular sensory experience. The contrasting methods of Kravets and Kukla reveal two key artistic strategies: the immediate, expressive capture of transient states versus the slow, layered reconstruction of complex visions.
On a personal note, this gallery holds deep sentimental value for me. I have visited it regularly since 2019 and had the privilege of witnessing Nita Kravets’ work during her time here. In many ways, this place shaped my aesthetic sensibilities — both in art and music. And it is quietly powerful to know that, despite the war, this portal to another world remains open.
Myroslava Hromova, Cultural Studies student at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
