The Snapdragons

2017

Project site: Kharkiv, Dnipro, Ukraine

Three-Channel Colour Video Installation
Duration: 7 minutes 15 seconds

One car, two iPhones, three snapdragons, four people. Korean artist Kyung Hwa Shon, a Chinese tourist, and two Ukrainian curators embarked on a road trip from Kharkiv to Dnipro, Ukraine. The resulting three-channel film is a playful tribute to Dnipro — once known as a “rocket closed city” during the Soviet era. Blending documentary and fiction, the work explores themes of memory, ideology, and identity through a surreal, humorous, and reflective lens. The ghost of the Soviet Union lingers, while the voice of God — performed by Siri — floats above the narrative, questioning systems of control in both past and present. This film offers a visually rich and critical portrait of post-Soviet space, drawing attention to how personal and collective histories intersect with contemporary digital life.

Collaboration with Hiu Tung Lau

01. The Snapdragons, Three Channel Colour Video Installation, 7 minutes 15 seconds, 2017
02. The Snapdragons, Three Channel Colour Video Installation, 7 minutes 15 seconds, 2017
03. The Snapdragons, Three Channel Colour Video Installation, 7 minutes 15 seconds, 2017
04. The Snapdragons, Three Channel Colour Video Installation, 7 minutes 15 seconds, 2017
05. The Snapdragons, Three Channel Colour Video Installation, 7 minutes 15 seconds, 2017
06. The Snapdragons, Three Channel Colour Video Installation, 7 minutes 15 seconds, 2017
07. The Snapdragons, Three Channel Colour Video Installation, 7 minutes 15 seconds, 2017
08. The Snapdragons, Three Channel Colour Video Installation, 7 minutes 15 seconds, 2017
09. The Snapdragons, Three Channel Colour Video Installation, 7 minutes 15 seconds, 2017
10. The Snapdragons, Three Channel Colour Video Installation, 7 minutes 15 seconds, 2017
11. The Snapdragons, Three Channel Colour Video Installation, 7 minutes 15 seconds, 2017
12. The Snapdragons, Three Channel Colour Video Installation, 7 minutes 15 seconds, 2017
13. The Snapdragons, Three Channel Colour Video Installation, 7 minutes 15 seconds, 2017