Middle Gate

Babi Badalov’s I am Euromental is an installation of works in ink on textile that is dedicated to linguistic explorations and associations. Badalov’s word games and text images transcend the normative language system. Writing becomes a form of drawing. Sound and pronunciation cause a shift in meaning. However, it is not about this game in itself. Badalov uses his visual poetry to address broader political and social issues, such as nationalism, cultural integration, consumption, gender equality and globalisation. The nomadic life of an artist (or traveller, migrant, refugee) does not only cause him or her the struggle of an adaptation period of cultural integration but can primarily turn him or her into a prisoner of language. Thereby, the artist covers current geopolitical topics that echo his personal experiences as a person from a minority group in his own country of origin.
In the current context of Ukraine, millions of IDPs from Ukraine have faced the integration problems that Badalov touches upon in his work. They have become even more relevant, given the history and unique geographical position of Ukraine.