This Is Just an Exhibition / Kyiv Biennale 2023

The project (exhibition) is part of the Kyiv Biennale 2023. Kyiv Biennial is an international art, knowledge, and politics forum that integrates exhibitions and discussion platforms. It adopts an interdisciplinary perspective at the intersection of the humanities, socially engaged art, and political activism to reflect on the crucial issues of the contemporary world. The Biennial is organised by the Visual Culture Research Center.

Exhibition opening: 27/10/2023 (Friday), 7:00 p.m.
Where: Galeria Labirynt, ul. ks. J. Popiełuszki 5, Lublin
Accessibility: The exhibition is held on the ground floor. In the bookshop you can borrow a wheelchair and earmuffs for free during your stay in the gallery. The silent hours at the exhibition apply on Wednesdays from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. The gallery has 6 portable induction loops.
Exhibition on display: until 22/01/2024 (Tue–Sun: 12:00–7:00 p.m.)
Admission: PLN 5 (free admission to the exhibition opening)

Artists*: Bohdan Bunchak, Pavlo Kovach jr, Alexander Len, Denys Pankratov, Max Robotov & Lesia Khomenko, Bohdan Sokur, Lubomyr Tymkiv, Yurko Vovkohon, _mediaklub group

*The list will be successively supplemented with more participants in the exhibition.

Curator: Waldemar Tatarczuk

Event accompanying the opening of the exhibition: concert of the _mediaklub group

The _mediaklub group is based on the idea of an opennes. At different times musicians, artists, programmers, and, by way of exception, the robot GAIA joined the group. During the performances they use different media, from the sound itself to video mapping. The online concert formula allows them, in spite of the war, to continue to create together and be close, even though one of the permanent members of the _mediaclub – Max Robotov – is in the Ukrainian army and the others are in different countries and time zones. They play – each in a different city, not always seeing and hearing each other – but listening amid the distractions and glitches to Max’s voice and his instructions from the front line.

The concert will feature: Max Robotov, Ivan Svitlychnyi, Dmytro Tentiuk, Daria Maiier.

Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_mediaklub/
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/mediaklub

This is just an exhibition, for Ukrainian artists serving in the army this is not the most important event right now, their priorities are completely elsewhere. Russia’s war has changed the hierarchy of importance – it has limited (an obvious euphemism) the possibilities to practice their profession, to participate in artistic life, it has changed their lives. Of course, it has changed the lives of not only artists, but of every person living or being killed by the Russian military in Ukraine. Yet, this change, brought about by the war, is focused in the lives of Ukrainian artists-soldiers like in a lens. Therefore, they are the main protagonists of this exhibition, and they are the ones who set up its content. Until the opening, or maybe longer, we will not know the full list of the exhibition participants. Firstly, because we want it to be open until the end. Secondly, communication with the artists involved in war effort is not as easy as with the artists-civilians living in the countries enjoying peace. Besides Ukrainian artists, the exhibition will include artists from outside Ukraine, who find it important to support the occupied country. This list will be open too, as we are keen for more artists to join the exhibition until the final days. It is an exhibition about people at war and solidarity, and in its course, it will become clear whether this is just an exhibition, or more than that.

Kyiv Biennale 2023 is held in partnership and with the support of Ars Electronica, Asortymentna Kimnata, Austrian Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport, Department for Cultural Affairs of the City of Vienna, Dovzhenko Centre, ERSTE Foundation, L’Internationale, Foundation for Arts Initiatives, Goethe-Institut, Galeria Labirynt, Institute for Human Sciences (IWM), Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz, M HKA (Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp), Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, MuseumsQuartier Wien ( MQ), mumok, Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Museum Crisis Center, Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Other Edges project (hablarenarte, KAIR, MeetFactory, Visual Culture Research Center), Sigrid Rausing Trust, Sorry, No Rooms Available, springerin, Sturzenegger-Stiftung, TBA21, tranzit.at, tranzit.org (Bratislava, Budapest, Bucharest, Cluj, Iași, Prague, Vienna), and the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.