Ukrainian Art Today – A Conversation with Alex Fisher. The Long Read.

We talked to curator and writer Alex Fisher, who co-organized the show Dedication. Traces and Tactics at Kristianstads konsthall, a municipal kunsthall in the south of Sweden, and invited seven artists and artist groups from different regions of Ukraine to participate.

Ukraine, on the border between east and west, and for a long time part of the Soviet Union and before that the Russian Empire, celebrated 30 years of independence in 2021. Prominent contemporary artists include photographer Boris Mikhailov, abstract art pioneer Kazimir Malevich, and from the Modernist period Sonia Delaunay, who, like several artists in the exhibition Dedication. Traces and Tactics, recently at Kristianstads konsthall in Sweden, had the experience of being born in an empire that disappeared during her lifetime. However, Ukraine was there all the time, as a shadow culture with a long history, under the layers of hegemonic rule.

The exhibition featured: 12345678910 Studio, Yaroslav Futymskyi, Nikita Kadan, Dana Kavelina, Lada Nakonechna; performances by Petro Ryaska and Blyzkist

Read on to find out more about the contemporary art scene in Ukraine. As Alex says:

“Dedication. Traces and Tactics comes to a close at a moment of severe stress for Ukraine and its allies, as Russia threatens to re-assert a sphere of influence reminiscent of that which existed during the Cold War, through various disruptive/deadly means. Ukrainian independence demands steadfast dedication, as its shape and scope are being tried and tested.”