Fotograf Zone – Viktoriia Tymonova

We Want to Know the Truth (About the Balls), 2023–2025

In her project We Want to Know the Truth (About the Balls), Ukrainian photographer Viktoriia Tymonova works with the original motif of mysterious "energy balls," around which various conspiracy theories are said to circulate. These objects allegedly affect fertility and emit electrical discharges, but this is denied by the scientific community. Tymonova approaches this topic through a fictional story.

The narrative is based on the fate of an imaginary journalist, John Foster, who was supposed to have discovered the existence of energy balls and paid for his curiosity with his life. His nephew then found secret documents and visual clues that form an alternative version of reality. The photographs in the project combine documentary visuals with deliberately staged elements, generated portraits, and light phenomena evocative of the mysterious balls.

In this way, Tymonova explores how easily conspiracy narratives can be created and promoted through images. The project straddles the line between documentary and fiction, challenging our trust in photography as apparent proof of truth. We Want to Know the Truth (About the Balls) also shows that even a fictional story can strongly influence our perception of the present, reminding us that visual language is never neutral.

The work points out that transformation does not only take place in the material world, but also on the level of storytelling. The stories we believe in are changing, as are the ways in which they are presented to us. Photography here becomes not only a tool for recording, but also for manipulation and the creation of illusions and new realities.

Co-funded by the Creative Europe program of the European Union, FUTURES is a platform to increase the capacity, mobility and visibility of it's selected artists and to bridge the gap between emerging and established artists.

METAMORPHOSIS
October 4–12, 2025
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Venue · Holešovice Market, Hall 13
Bubenské nábř. 306, 170 00, Prague 7 Holešovice
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Opening Hours · 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Viktoriia Tymonova

is a Ukrainian artist based in Prague. Her practice explores fiction, magical thinking, conspiracies, and the paranormal, often through reenactments, hoaxes, and memories. She is fascinated by mystifications and the overlap between history and alternative histories.

#49 Talk Together

This issue explores language – its forms, possibilities, and limits. We look at how we communicate in the digital space, how the language of artificial intelligence changes our notions of creativity, and how visual images can replace words. You will discover why language is never neutral and how it shapes identity, creates inequalities, and opens paths to liberation. The issue features a reflection by bell hooks, the artistic practice of Eszter Magyar, projects documenting the Roma community in Brno, and visual essays by Claudia Larcher and Tabor Robak. The magazine presents language as a tool of communication, power, and resistance and invites you to reflect on what it truly means to talk to one another today.