"Don't speak, or it won't come true" — a phrase that instills trembling hope and multiplies fear. The opportunity to look inside oneself and formulate only one cherished wish. An attempt to get everything without doing anything.

In her new project, Alena Kovalli uses the image of a ceremonial cake to capture the moment after a celebration. The guests are already leaving, while some never even made it. The gifts have been unwrapped, and the feeling of euphoria gives way to anxiety—how can one prolong the celebration? How to comfort oneself the next morning? The rule, firmly established in the mind through experience—is to save a piece of the cake.

The project will present a new series of paintings and objects from the "Ephemeral" series. In her painting technique, the artist recreates photo stories from her personal archive, which capture imperfect desserts in their commercial form and their remnants—cut, broken. The lush textures of cream, melting chocolate, and the exposed layer of jam are depicted in the process of transforming into evidence of their own material finiteness.

With the support of the St. Petersburg home fragrance studio S P Candle, Alena Kovalli will present a series of wax sculptures. As part of the project, a limited collection of candles with an exclusive fragrance, developed by S P Candle experts in collaboration with the artist, will also be released. Sparkling sweet notes of berries and praline meet with smoky motifs and continue the exhibition experience beyond its boundaries. A slice of cake in the form of an aromatic candle will be available for purchase at DiDi Gallery.

Saint Petersburg, Bolshoy pr. V.O., 62

Opening hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 12:00 – 19:00. Free entry.

Exhibition partner: S P Candle studio