The exhibition “Sad fairy tales are probably also needed” continues the concept established during the creation of the jewelry collection Catharsis by RUSHEV. The synthesis of dark romance, southern gothic, and castle-core aesthetics echoes the works of artists specifically created for the exhibition. The title “Sad fairy tales are probably also needed” alludes to a song by the band “Gosti iz budushchego” and sets a melancholic tone for the artistic statement about love and associated experiences. The creators do not focus on dramatic climaxes or moments of happiness — those bright flashes traditionally linked to being in love. Instead, the artistic language of the project plays with exaggerated fairy-tale imagery. At the core of the curatorial and artistic reflection lies the paradoxical nature of love, precisely noted by Roland Barthes in “Fragments d’un discours amoureux” Love is rarely straightforward: it promises salvation but brings dependency; it reveals the other person but exposes our own wounds. Barthes insists on the fundamental asymmetry of love. The lover is primarily the one who speaks. But their words are always a risk, directed into emptiness, as they may not be heard. “I love you” is a phrase that makes the speaker vulnerable. In this sense, love is not a dialogue but a monologue. The exhibition project “Sad fairy tales are probably also needed” becomes a visual embodiment of this monologue. It is an attempt to speak about that very “melancholic extension”, where the feeling lives not in dialogue but in the agonizing and sweet anticipation between the spoken phrase “I love you” and the unreceived response.