Kateryna Pokora
‘The Colour of Cyan’, 2024–2025, installation
In her work, Kateryna explores the river landscape of the Dnipro, where she grew up and of which she feels a part. She interprets the landscape as a representational practice and an emblem of the social relations it conceals. Her work challenges anthropocentric perspectives—the creation of conditions in which humans perceive landscapes and ecosystems not as separate worlds but as resources to be exploited.
The contemporary river landscape of the Dnipro, shaped by a cascade of reservoirs, is one of the greatest manifestations of the colonial violence of Soviet policy. The destruction of the water power station in Kakhovka by russian troops in June 2023 forced a reconsideration of our attitude towards ecosystems shaped by Soviet industrialisation. This act of ecocide committed by the russian troops gave impetus to a renewed reflection on the postcolonial economic model and to proposing solutions focused on the decolonisation of nature. Kateryna works in this spirit—her works aim at rethinking our relationship with nature.
In her project ‘The Colour of Cyan’, the artist examines the phenomenon of algal bloom as one of the consequences of regulating the flow of the Dnipro. The creation of reservoirs has led to the proliferation of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Billions of years ago, their photosynthetic activity contributed to the formation of an oxygen-rich atmosphere. Yet their excessive growth (the characteristic green bloom in summer) leads to an increased toxin concentration and the loss of biodiversity. Their high capacity to adapt to changing conditions is possible thanks to the interconnections within an ecosystem. Thus, even the most inconspicuous organisms participate in the creation of worlds. Kateryna’s project also shows the impact of historical changes on interspecies relations—blooms are a visible consequence of the interaction between anthropogenic influences and natural adaptation, which creates conditions either for the flourishing or the collapse of ecosystems.
Drawing on the ideas of Anna Tsing, the artist seeks to show the possibility of coexistence by heightening human awareness of their inseparable entanglement in the living tissue. This entails acceptance of a mode of existence in which we are conscious of our vulnerability and dependence on other life forms. Kateryna’s artistic practice focuses on questioning and rethinking the boundary between the human and the non-human and on developing a more sustainable and ecological approach to the environment.
