In the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, a beautiful princess falls into a deep sleep from which only true love’s kiss can rouse her. Until recently, the tale was nothing more than a romantic fantasy, but an exhibit at Kiev’s National Art Museum of Ukraine has brought the beloved story to life.

In the sleeping beauty project, women dress in an all-white gown and “sleep” on an elevated platform for two hours at a time. However, this art installation comes with a surprising twist – if a woman opens her eyes after a man kisses her the couple is legally bound to get married. 

“Everybody, any viewer, will have to sign the contract, which says ‘if I kiss the beauty and she opens her eyes while being kissed, I marry her,’” Ukrainian-Canadian artist Taras Polataiko told The Telegraph.

The women have signed a similar agreement, acknowledging they must marry a man if they open their eyes during a kiss.

While critics have called the exhibit "creepy" and "gross," at least one of the sleeping beauties is open to the possibility of meeting her true love.

“If it’s my true love, I will feel it on an intuitive level,” she told The Telegraph. “Secondly, if I don’t feel it, I won’t open my eyes. Anything can happen in life. And suddenly it’s fate. What if it’s the only way I’ll meet my soul mate?”

The exhibit opened on August 22 and runs until September 9. So far, no sleeping beauties have opened their eyes to gaze upon their future husband.

What do you think of the exhibit?

ABC News

Photo: The Telegraph