Ukrainian Women artists in war: a story of memory, loss and care

The Russian war in Ukraine directly affects arts and culture by destroying museums and heritage and persecuting and killing cultural workers and activists. But is it possible to resist such tragedy with a hell of art? What is contemporary Ukrainian art that has been caught up in the war and is undergoing severe transformations and experiences of loss and trauma? Is there room for creativity, love, and care in today’s violent history?
In her lecture, Kateryna Iakovlenko will talk about a woman’s view of the war: how to be an artist during the war, how the experience of motherhood changes, and how volunteering affects the creation of works? How does the war transform daily life and professional activity? After all, what other roles did the war prepare for artists, and how did they affect the choice of themes, materials, and forms to which artists turn?

WHEN: July 20, 2024 (Saturday), 4:00 p.m.
WHERE: Galeria Labirynt, ul. Popiełuszki 5, Lublin
ACCESSIBILITY: The event will take place on the ground floor. In the bookstore, you can borrow a stroller and noise-canceling earmuffs free of charge for the duration of your stay in the Gallery. An induction loop is installed in the room. Event translated into Polish Sign Language; translation: Ewelina Lachowska. Event translated from Ukrainian; translation: Volodymyr Dyshlevuk.
Free entrance

Kateryna Iakovlenko is a Culture Editor-in-Chief at UPB Suspilne, a contemporary art researcher, curator, and writer. Her publications include the book Why There Are Great Women Artists in Ukrainian Art (2019) and a special issue of Obieg Magazine on “Euphoria and Fatigue: Ukrainian Art and Society after 2014”. She has also published in e-flux and Artforum. The exhibitions she has curated include I dreamed of beasts (Labirynt Gallery, 2022-2023, with Halyna Hleba), Everyone is afraid of the baker, and I thank you (apartment exhibition, Irpin, 2022), and Our Years, Our Words, Our Losses, Our Searches, Our Us (Jam Factory, Lviv, with Natalia Matsenko and Borys Filonenko). She is a co-curator of the Secondary Archive project (2022) and the Secondary Archive project: Woman Artists at War (2024).