Get ready to stretch your limits and see if you fit the Procrustean Bed challenge IRL!

On March 9, Fridman Gallery will open the exhibition “Procrustean Bed,” a project examining how contemporary social and administrative systems compel individuals to adapt themselves to predefined norms. The exhibition focuses on the experiences of migration, bureaucracy, and “integration,” where personal history, language, and identity often must be adjusted in order to remain legitimate and visible.

Through specific visual narratives and everyday situations, the exhibition reveals how anything that does not conform to established norms is perceived as excess or as an error requiring correction. The project’s title refers to a simple principle: if a person does not fit into a predetermined form, they must either change or disappear from visibility.

The Ukrainian context within the project is presented not as an exception, but as a lens through which universal mechanisms of normalization become particularly visible. The experience of forced migration and constant verification renders these processes recognizable and accessible to an international audience.

“Procrustean Bed” does not offer ready-made solutions. Instead, the exhibition raises questions about who defines norms, why they appear neutral, and what human cost they entail.

Time: 7:00 pm EST

Free!

Registration