The gift store is a special part of the MOT project. Focusing on the souvenir stores of the best museums and galleries in the world, the don’t Take Fake team sought not just to present the usual merch, but to create a full-fledged pop-up store with collaborations with Ukrainian brands and artists. Each limited-edition drop is redefining the concept of time and temporality, a key theme of the exhibition, which will run in the space until May 14. The project team adds that all of the items visitors see on the shelves were created in Ukraine during a full-scale war, amid constant blackouts and business shutdowns: “For us, it’s not so much the goods as it is the embodiment of the endurance of Ukrainian business and the fixation of time in physical objects that complement the project”
You can buy items only in the MOT offline space on Kontraktova Square. Working schedule: weekdays — 1:00 p.m. — 8:00 p.m., weekends — 11:00 a.m. — 8:00 p.m. However, if you are abroad and want to support our project and buy something from the gift store, send us a Direct message on Instagram (@donttakefake, @mot.object ) or email ([email protected] )
All profits from the sale will go to the MOT fund, which aims to restore cultural institutions affected by russian aggression (find out more here).
O(FourFour)
In collaboration with MOT, the Kyiv-based brand O(FourFour) rethought its iconic silhouettes: the THORI vest, MOTH longsleeve, SEER balaclava, and ORYX laptop bag. The vest and laptop bag in new colors were complemented with the same branding and new elements; the team designed a new print for the longsleeve and made a new lightweight version of the classic O(FourFour) balaclavas.
“In interpreting the concept of MOT, we see temporal cultural space as a situational connection of not only different participants and their contributions, but also of times — all kinds of past, present and future memories and expectations, and have created items that reflect this vision”, the O(FourFour) team described the collaboration.
Broq
The Kyiv jewelry brand (more about it in our text) released a drop that consists of a ring, a hand bracelet and ear cuffs especially for MOT: they are handmade from silver and oxidized to emphasize the idea of temporality. Over time, the oxidized layer will wear off, showing off the precious metal, just as the essence manifests itself over time.
According to brand founder Anya Kharabuha, temporality for Broq is a return to reality. “This drop is imbued with the landscape of our present. The fake values, the trumpery that blurs the vision — everything recedes into the background when you focus on what’s really important. The bare and eternal pillars of support are love, friendship, encouragement, communication, trust, vulnerability, emotion. That’s the foundation. And it’s the framework”.
m0d44
The Kyiv-based workwear brand created T-shirts, hoodies, and caps with prints in its signature style especially for MOT.
According to the founder of the brand, designer Anton Abo, the prints are based on a “technical aesthetic”, which corresponds to the main theme of art space — temporality — and refers to the tags on the containers that underlie MOT. Another feature is the hybrid logo on the cap, where MOT and m0d44 turn into MOT44.
MOT merch
The collection of merch included three kinds of T-shirts, an integral part of don’t Take Fake events — pins, as well as fingerboards, tape, rulers, pencils, and even postage stamps. The merch was based on the MOT logo, which was created for the project by don’t Take Fake’s friends, the CREVV design studio (read our interview with them about the visual language of MOT here).
“The entire project’s identity is a modular system that changes from one carrier to the next, —the CREVV team tells DTF Magazine in an interview. — It is not static, there are no permanent guides, so the relationships of the elements in the layouts are always different”.
Eye Sea Art
For MOT, the workshop and school of ceramics Eye Sea Art created 10 ceramic containers, each of which was hand-painted by Ukrainian artists. The first ones were painted by Roman Mykhailov, Oleksandr Prytula, Oleksandr Hrebeniuk, as well as the founder of the Eye Sea Art project and ceramic artist Ksenia Gladushevska.
pilsok
Kyiv-based brand of backpacks, bags, and accessories pilsok has reimagined a new version of the sacoche air bag model for MOT. It, like pilsok’s latest drops, is created from recycled car airbags and is complemented with the same branding. “We continue to work with upcycled items because that’s how each product becomes unique”, the pilsok team says.
Woolkrafts x Sergiy Maydukov х MOT
As part of a triple collaboration, artist Sergiy Maidukov created a new illustration capturing a wartime moment. You can buy it as a blanket, created by the Ukrainian brand Woolkrafts, or as a linocut (in poster format). The linocut was printed at Lithography30.
Sabi
The Ukrainian candle brand created two sets for MOT: a set of four candles and a set of twelve candles (the latter comes with a transparent candle holder). The beeswax candles are made in the signature colors of Module of Temporality: gray, pink, blue, and green.
“By their nature, candles are a temporary object, — Sabina Lyubchenko, designer and founder of Sabi, explains the idea. — Although I treat everything as temporary, whatever it is: candles, sunshine, joy or, for example, winter — it’s good that in Kyiv it’s temporary”.
Roman Kirilich
Kyiv-based artist and founder of the Light White Decor project continues to work with gypsum, the key material from which he makes sculptures of iconic sneaker models, Coca-Cola bottles, burgers, and other pop-cultural symbols. For MOT, he created gypsum copies of the containers from which the structure is built. Each can be customized by painting them with markers, which are also available in the gift store.
Sestry Feldman
A collaboration with street artists Mishel and Nicol Feldman resulted in a Rubik’s Cube with abstract prints created by the sisters especially for MOT. MOT also features a set of tarot cards with Feldman’s drawings dedicated to Ukraine (and created in collaboration with ORNER).
Montana Cans x MOT х Stroom
Another triple collaboration, which resulted in two sets, each of which includes cans of aerosol graffiti paint Montana Black and stencils designed by artists from the Kyiv tattoo studio and community Stroom. The first set contains two cans in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, a stencil-interpretation of the coat of arms by tattoo artist Anton Kresan, and also a stencil with the Ukrainian alphabet. The second set contains four cans in MOT’s signature colors — green, pink, blue and gray — and a set of four stencils designed by Helen Poputnikova and Romasovattt. Each purchaser receives Montana gloves and spray paint caps.
MOT x Zakrtka
Ukrainian brand Zakrtka specializes in the production of minimalistic notebooks, planners and notepads. For MOT, the team created two notebooks with ruled and dotted pages. They were supplemented with blueprints of the space, so that everyone can add their own elements and details.
The big notebook (16.5 × 23.5 cm) is in black color, the small one (13 × 19 cm) is in gray color. They were created using eco-friendly materials, which are used to make all of Zakrtka’s stationery.
MOT x Vitalina Lopukhina
Ukrainian calligraphers and graphic designers Vitalina Lopukhina and Victoria Lopukhina work with Cyrillic alphabet and traditional handwriting, create posters, write on ceramics and teach calligraphy. Vitalina Lopukhina, one of the sisters, created a neon sign that says “Timeless” especially for MOT. The sign lights partly and reminds us that “timeless is at the same time visible and unwitnessed concept”.
Milk Bar
The Kyiv cafe chain has made a series of confectionery products in the corporate colors and with the art space’s identity. Among them are lollipops, chocolate cookies and gingerbread: round ones with the letters “M”, “O”, and “T” and rectangular ones with the inscription “MOT”.
Bookshelf
There are also books available for purchase at the MOT gift store. Some of them are provided by the friendly IST Publishing, which publishes books on art, curating, literature, architecture, zines and art books. Among them are “Air War and Literature” (W.G. Sebald), “Ways of Seeing” (John Berger), “NA4JOPM8” (Igor Chekachkov), «Permanent Residency» (Serhiy Zhadan, Pavlo Makov), KYIV by Sergiy Maidukov, “Conversations on Architecture” (Bohdan Volynskyi, Oleg Drozdov), “Performing the Common City. On the Crossroads of Art, Politics and Public Life” (Pascal Gielen) and others.
Among the presented publications are the book “Kyiv Street Art”, dedicated to Kyiv murals, and “An Imaginary Adventure Book” by the designer and MOT exhibitor Alexey Kondakov (it contains his surrealistic photo collages in which characters from classical works of art are transposed into everyday life).
