Category Art
Published January 20, 2026
Still in Motion, by Veronika Butkevich
Story scent: the smell of the air inside a soap bubble
Story flavour: a soufflé
Play on repeat while reading: “#3“, by Aphex Twin
Our identities, our bodies, and our experiences are shared by constant metamorphoses. We mutate and change with the tides or against them; we push and let go, and when we think of our growth, it becomes synonymous with movement. A memory of a big shift or life change always feels static and fast-paced. In the digital age, we are constantly rushed, pushed towards newness, and asked to move fast, yet it is in the stillest moments that we draw the most meaningful conclusions.
After all is said and done, and it is time to gain a true understanding of the direction our lives have taken, we are always told to pause, reflect, and realign. So why should the idea of stillness feel so removed from movement?
True motion happens when we pause, and it often feels deeper or heavier. Maybe that’s why it’s so disarming. When we have time to just chill and be alone with ourselves, rather than treating human experiences as a rushed afterthought, we are terrified of what we might uncover.
“Identity as a process shaped by moments of pause as much as by change.”
This is exactly what Still in Motion, by multidisciplinary visual artist Veronika Butkevich, is asking you to do. Just stand, chill, and find yourself in the movements as you explore the quiet language of identity.
The installation is silently mystifying and peacefully powerful. In Veronika’s own words, in her installation, “stillness functions not as absence, but as intensity.”
On the meaning behind Still in Motion, Veronika says: “I am deeply interested in how identity is formed through often quiet experiences. I wanted to encourage the viewer to slow down, stay with the work, and notice subtle internal states that are held and expressed through the installation.”
Still in Motion, by Veronika Butkevich
Still in Motion places the subject, eyes often closed or ajar, in a state of suspended development. He moves his body and arms slowly through the air. Each stroke becomes an act of discovery. The subject does not interact with the camera; when he shares a stare, it’s one that goes through the lens, through the audience. He remains either seated or slightly in motion. The image that appears calm carries enormous weight.
As we begin to spot ourselves in the subtle gestures, our thoughts and feelings, often cluttered and confused, project onto the installation. An anxious need to identify each coming sensation takes over. That is when Still in Motion reminds us, as much as stillness intensifies, it also liberates with a simple gift: you do not need to decide or define… You are in no rush to.
In his movements, the subject remains undefined, almost undecided. Veronika reminds us that “stillness can be active, and identity does not need to be fully defined in order to be real and meaningful.”
In a world where a set identity is everything, this feels like a sort of rebellion.
This state of defiant contemplation is juxtaposed by a butterfly that shares the frame. Perhaps the most perfect of creatures to take the idea of motionless force further. The metaphor of a butterfly’s wings perfectly illustrates how small, slow movements can bring about the biggest consequences.
Of course, there is also the physical power of a butterfly. We can only admire one’s beauty if it is still. A gentle reminder of the concept Veronika has based her installation on.
Still in Motion, by Veronika Butkevich
“The work remains open to interpretation, which aligns with the central idea of my artistic practice – that the installation is a reflection of the viewer, even when it appears still.”
Developed through photography and videography, layered with mixed-media techniques, this project represents the core of Veronika Butkevich’s work. Born out of the artist’s past experiences and powered by conceptual depth, her multidisciplinary creations often employ mixed-media techniques to create tactile effects within moving-image work. Her art lives, even when it lacks movement.
The project is extremely fitting within Veronika’s practice, which is often explorative of processual changes of identity and fond of multi-layering both within its format and its subject matter. Employing mixed media to emphasise that in the context of moving image, while creating a tactile effect, is also characteristic of Veronika’s visual style/ artistic approach.
Still in Motion continues down the path of quiet intensity. Although Veronika has put a lot of herself and her own experiences into the installation, it now continues on, as art does, on a path of its own, changing each time it appears before a new set of eyes.
“During the early stages, the project felt more intuitive and exploratory. I saw an opportunity to experiment with light and to test how photography, video, and mixed media could coexist.” “Seeing the installation complete evokes a sense of resolution rather than closure. I feel slightly distanced from the work, as if it now exists independently of me, despite my investing a huge part of my personal emotion into it.”
Still in Motion was exhibited during the After the Image event, hosted by Come n See on 19 September 2025.
