February 24, Russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine. In less than a week since the war began, the impact on the art world has been both tangible and profound. As an international orientated gallery, we find it important to spread information of organizations who try to help artists. There are bound to be more than those listed here, so if you know of more, please help spreading information.
Artists accommodation and working spaces and fundraising campaigns are some of the measures offered:
In Norway, Art Hall Trondheim and Lademoen invites Ukrainian artists and cultural workers to a two week residency for free, and will cover flights expenses and provide accommodation. If needed, they will also provide an invitation letter. If you or anyone you know are interested, please send them a DM or write an email to [email protected]
The Association of Romanian Contemporary Art Galleries also launched a Solidarity Action for Ukrainian Artists and offer artists accommodation and working spaces. The association is now about to start a fundraising campaign in order to collect funds to cover everyday expenses.
Requests will be processed on a first come first served basis, as they will try to host as many artists as possible. The call includes artists in the areas of the visual and performing arts, filmmaking, research, sound or any other disciplines. The programme will take place in Bucharest, Cluj and Timișoara starting February 24.
The Association will provide accommodation and financial support during the stay. Each artist will be supported according to their individual needs.
Requests can be sent to: [email protected]
The war has already also had an impact on other areas of the art field. Earlier this year, artists representing Ukraine’s pavilion at the Venice Biennale expressed their hopes to still participate in the event. However, the escalating conflict has made this unlikely. On Sunday, artists from the Russian pavilion announced that they will not take part in the upcoming biennale. Artists Alexandra Sukhareva and Kirill Savchenkov wrote a social media post, explaining their decision: “there is no place for art when civilians are dying under the fire of missiles when citizens of Ukraine are hiding in shelters when Russian protesters are getting silenced.” The organizers of the pavilion has not announced replacements, suggesting that Russia will not have a pavilion at the Venice Biennale this April.
In Moscow, the Garage Museum of Contemporary art announced that it will not hold any exhibitions while the war wages on. Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson closed his exhibitions about two weeks earlier at the GES-2 Museum in Moscow in view of the waging war.
Within Ukraine, concerns have been raised about artworks and cultural heritages getting destroyed in the conflict. The New York Times had reported that the US Army was working on a Monuments Men-style team of experts to protect artefacts, but progress has been slow thus far.
(Credit: https://www.art-insider.com/how-russia-ukraine-war-impacts-art-world/3560)
Photo: Paal Audestad: Tsjernobyl IV, from his Chernobyl Legacy series
