2025

2024

Features of the representation of Ukrainian visual art in the cultural space of Germany (based on 2022—2024 materials)

Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts - Master Thesis

Erinnerungen an die Zukunft: zeitgenössische Kunst zu Gast in Schloss Schönhausen

SPSG, Berlin, 2024. 100 p. ISBN 978-3-00-080760-2

A digital version of the catalogue is available upon individual request at anna.petrova.od@gmail.com

The representation of Ukrainian art at Documenta Kassel (1955-2022), comparative analysis with other countries of Eastern Europe

Documenta Kassel - Research Fellowship 15.06 - 31.12.2024

In his seminal work on the modern history of Ukrainian art, Victor Sydorenko authoritatively states that Ukrainian artists have historically been absent from Documenta, the renowned exhibition in Kassel, Germany. Sixteen years later, this statement remains widely accepted, while the subject of Ukrainian-German relations within the exhibition space remains underexplored.

This issue is exemplified in an interview by New Voice with Dieter Roelstraete, a member of the curatorial team for Documenta 14, who visited Kyiv in 2015 at the invitation of Ukrainian independent curators. In the interview, Roelstraete openly admits to having no prior knowledge of Ukrainian art processes. The only Ukrainian artist familiar to him was Boris Mikhailov, likely due to the photographer's Berlin residency. Roelstraete attributed this invisibility of an entire nation to Ukraine’s weak cultural policies (reference).

Amid the escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2022, a decolonial approach to examining Ukrainian art history gained prominence among art scholars. A comprehensive revision and battle for proper attribution of artists and artworks have ensued. Through the efforts of the Ukrainian cultural community, international museums have reattributed works by Vasyl Yermilov, Ilia Repin, Kazimir Malevich, and others. The label on Edgar Degas' work in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, for instance, now refers to "Ukrainian dancers" instead of "Russian dancers." Despite debates over these changes, their impact is evident: Ukrainian identities are emerging on the global art map, influencing both international perceptions and the self-awareness of Ukrainian cultural actors.

Another critical issue gaining relevance is the European nature of Ukrainian culture. The slogan "Ukraine is Europe" now resonates in multiple languages, with European culture ministers visiting Ukrainian cities and both private and state funds allocating budgets for joint cultural projects. Documenta Kassel, a litmus test of European artistic processes, provides a vital context for examining Ukraine's historical representation within Europe.

Documenta, however, was never intended as a showcase of national art schools—Venice Biennale serves that purpose. As Adolf Arndt aptly stated during the opening of Documenta III:
"Speaking in biblical terms, there is neither Jew nor Greek here. There is neither German nor American nor Pole here—only a critical presence in the indivisible unity of visual art of our time, wherever the spirit of freedom and creativity prevails."

Thus, this study should not be seen as a critique of those involved in Documenta for its national representation imbalance. Instead, it offers another building block toward understanding the historical evolution of cultural connections between Western and Eastern Europe. The low representation and dismissive attitudes toward Eastern Europe as a region incapable of producing "true" art are natural consequences of prolonged isolation. Western cultural professionals have lacked expertise on contemporary art in Eastern Europe for decades and often had no one to consult. This has sometimes led to amusing misclassifications, such as labeling the Ukrainian artist Kazimir Malevich, of Polish-Jewish descent, as German. However, most consequences are more tragic than comedic.

Territorial and Chronological Boundaries

This study defines Eastern Europe as Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, and Kosovo. East Germany (GDR) is excluded due to its distinct context. Chronologically, the study spans 1955–2022.

Scientific Novelty: As of 2024, this is the first study to analyze Ukrainian representation at Documenta Kassel comprehensively.

Key words: Ukrainian art, Documenta Kassel, Eastern European representation, Decolonial approach in art history, Ukrainian-German cultural relations  

Sponsored by:

• Goethe Institut 
• Documenta Kassel
• Kunsthochschule Kassel

Ukrainian Documentary Photography: Art? Diplomacy? Or Both?

Central European University - IUFU

2023

GOLDNARBEN: UCC zu Gast in Schloss Schönhausen

SPSG, Berlin, 2023. 112 p. 

A digital version of the catalogue is available upon individual request at anna.petrova.od@gmail.com

2021

This tour is an opportunity to learn about the Odesa National Fine Arts Museum that we do not mention on regular tours of the exhibition. It is no secret that the history of the museum is fraught with difficulties. Over the 121 years of its existence, it has undergone numerous divisions and redistributions of collections, changes of leadership, revolutions, taboos and repressions. And this year, a pandemic has appeared in the institution's history.

Obviously, the world will never return to its previous version. The only thing left to do is to move forward, reorganising, creating and rebuilding. Restoration and recreation are the theme of this year's International Museum Day.

What should a museum be like in order to meet the public demand as accurately as possible? What can we, as representatives of this industry, offer to a frustrated world? And, of course, is there a future for art galleries that are deprived of physical contact with their viewers?

To answer these complex questions, let's turn to the foundation - the values on which the museum is based - and together we will dive into the history of constants and changes in the biography of our unique place.