Nikita Kadan in Konsthall Kristianstad, SE Dedication - Traces and Tactics > 30.01.2022
Featuring: Yaroslav Futymskyi (b. 1987) – Lviv, Lada Nakonechna (b. 1981) – Kyiv, Nikita Kadan (b. 1982) – Kyiv, Dana Kavelina (b. 1995) – Melitopol, 12345678910 Studio (Yevhenii Obraztsov (b. . 1993) and Anastasiia Omelych (b. 1996) – Dnipro.
Dedication. Traces and Tactics. ” is both is a great introduction for all curious and provides an opportunity for a deeper knowledge of contemporary art from Ukraine.
The exhibition produces a small publication with an essay written directly for the exhibition by Ewa Sułek, an art historian, researcher and curator from Warsaw focusing on contemporary Ukrainian art:
The traces – of history, of memory, of private gestures – are all powerful tools. In working with these remnants, pieces, and scratches, even those that might seem unrecognizable, one can build their strength and gain voice. Ukrainian art today is profoundly engaged art. It also asks the viewer for the same dedication. To ask questions, search deeper, and finally – participate, through the bodily, tactile presence. ”
The program for the exhibition includes performance art, where the first appearance will be made by Petro Ryaska from Uzhhorod on the opening day on 16 October.
The exhibition Dedication – Traces and Tactics at Kristianstads konsthall examines the challenges of today
as seen through our inseverable connection to the past. Through art, we can work with history to illuminate
the present and imagine the future.
The exhibition has its origin in Kristianstad’s unique historical relationship with Ukraine, Sweden’s ally
during the Great Northern War of 1700–1721. After the Skirmish at Bender, Swedish king Charles XII
invited the hetman of the Zaporozhian Army Filip Orlik (1672–1742) and his family to Kristianstad, where
they lived in exile during the period 1716–1719. Orlik had earlier drafted Ukraine’s first constitution, in
1710, one of the earliest constitutions in Europe based on the principle of distribution of power.
Some of Ukraine’s most widely-discussed contemporary artists have been invited to the exhibition, which
features arguments against generalizing political stories and official histories, as well as invocations of
personal interpretations, experiences and memories. From different perspectives and with varied techniques,
the artists inquire about the agenda of democracy and its expression.
Can a new dedication and narrative be formulated and manifested, and if so, by whom? How can we uphold
our commitment to our individual rights in the public realm?
Knowledge is never neutral; a legacy is never absolute. With works created especially for the exhibition, the
artists explore what tactics we can use to handle what we have inherited. A common denominator is a
participant-based and action-oriented approach that highlights the many layers of opinion and revolutionary
movements that have affected civil society. Dedication – Traces and Tactics illustrates the endurance and
resistance of art, advocating for the dissolution of unjust power structures.
The exhibition is organized by Kristianstads konsthall in cooperation with the guest curator Alex Fisher and
Milvus Artistic Research Center (MARC). The program organized by MARC is supported by House of
Europe as well as a Kulturrådet regional development grant aimed at long-term research into Ukrainian
cultural exchange.
Featured artists: Yaroslav Futymskyi, Nikita Kadan, Dana Kavelina, Lada Nakonechna, 12345678910 Studio
Performances by: Petro Ryaska, Blyzkist
Alexander Fischer, 2021