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December 2024

A Fable for Tomorrow – Imran Channa & Kateryna Lysovenko

Guided Exhibition Tour, Talk and Get Together at philomena+
Friday, December 20, 4-7 pm

Office Ukraine Get together in December 2024

The post-anthropocene landscape in the aftermath of the worst nuclear disaster forms the central focus of the collaborative exhibition project “A Fable for Tomorrow”.

Imran Channa (*in Shikarpur, Sindh, Pakistan, lives and works in Amsterdam), who was invited for an artist residency this fall by philomena+, often uses archive materials in his artistic work. Based on this, he employs game development software for the creation of immersive 3D landscapes that refer to a speculated future. He digitally navigates the viewer through the monstrous architecture of the accident site, a nuclear power plant after the meltdown.

Kateryna Lysovenko (* in Kyiv, Ukraine, lives and works in Vienna) refers in her painting to the Red Forest, the exclusion zone in Chernobyl after the nuclear disaster of 1986. Due to the high levels of radiation, the pine trees turned reddish-brown and died, and mutations in the genetic material of humans and animals occurred. After the evacuation of the people, more animals moved into the area. In the years that followed, the diversity of fauna and flora in the Red Forest increased significantly. Nature in this area not only seems to have survived, but also thrived.

In the course of the event, director Christine Bruckbauer from philomena+ will present the art space as well as the exhibition and Kateryna Lysovenko will talk about her work.

After the official program, there will be an opportunity for informal discussions over Hot Punch and Christmas bakery.

The exhibition “A Fable for Tomorrow” at philomena+ will be shown until December 28, 2024.

Time: Friday, December 20, 2024, 4 – 7 pm
Venue: philomena+, Heinestraße 40, 1020 Vienna

https://philomena.plus

Two Years of Support for Ukrainian Artists Office Ukraine Book Presentation in Linz

Thursday, December 5 at 6 pm
Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz, Doktor-Ernst-Koref-Promenade 1, 4020 Linz

The publication »Office Ukraine. Two Years of Support for Ukrainian Artists« (Verlag für moderne Kunst) highlights the extensive work of the platform founded in 2022 in response to the Russian war of aggression and presents the numerous collaborations with artists and institutions throughout Austria. 

In the following panel discussion, Ukrainian artists will talk about their living and working situation in Austria and, together with members of Office Ukraine and supporters, discuss suitable support measures for displaced cultural workers.

Program

– Welcome address by Hemma Schmutz / director Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz
– Presentation of the publication by Andrei Siclodi and Susanne Jäger / Office Ukraine
– Panel discussion with Anastasiya Yarovenko / artist and curator, Anastasiia Vasylchenko Mamay / artist, Olia Fedorova, artist
and Office Ukraine team member, and Georg Schöllhammer / Office Ukraine
Moderation of the event: Mark Napadenski / Office Ukraine 

After the official part, drinks will be offered and there will be an opportunity for informal discussions. 

The publication was made possible through the generous support of the Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport (BMKOES).

We would like to thank Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz for supporting the event.

Free admission

November 2024

Book presentation in Innsbruck: “Office Ukraine. Two years of support for Ukrainian artists”

LITERATURHAUS AM INN
Joseph-Hirn-Straße 5, 6020 Innsbruck

25. NOVEMBER 2024, 19:00

The publication Office Ukraine. Two Years of Support for Ukrainian Artists (Verlag für moderne Kunst, 2024) highlights the extensive work of the platform founded in 2022 in response to the Russian war of aggression and presents the numerous collaborations with artists and institutions throughout Austria.

Following the book presentation by Anastasiia Diachenko (Office Ukraine), Kseniya Kharchenko and Oleksandra Terentyeva will explore the contemporary publishing world in Ukraine, the activities of members of the Ukrainian literature scene in diaspora, and the importance of international collaborations.
Moderation: Veronika Riedl (Office Ukraine).

Andrei Siclodi (Office Ukraine) will guide through the evening.

The publication was made possible through the generous support of the Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport (BMKOES).

The event is a cooperation between Office Ukraine and Literaturhaus am Inn.

INVITATION

Kseniya Kharchenko is a writer, translator, cultural manager, and a member of PEN Ukraine. She worked as the program manager for the Documenting Ukraine project at the Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen (IWM Vienna) and is currently pursuing studies at the University of Vienna.

Oleksandra Terentyeva is a political scientist at Innsbruck University and initiator of the community center and library Hnizdo.Innsbruck.

A Lost Glove, or the Meaning of Solidarity.

Office Ukraine. Two Years of Support for Ukrainian Artists.
Book Presentation at Buch Wien 2024

In March 2022, the BMKÖS (Austrian Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport) founded the networking platform “Office Ukraine” in cooperation with civil society.

The diverse activities with Ukrainian artists and institutions throughout Austria are presented in the publication “Office Ukraine. Two Years of Support for Ukrainian Artists” published by Verlag für moderne Kunst / Vienna.

On the occasion of the book fair Buch Wien 2024, the publication will be presented.
In the panel discussion organized by the BMKÖS and Office Ukraine: “A lost glove, or the meaning of solidarity”, the publication of the networking platform Office Ukraine will be presented, which comprises the diverse activities of Ukrainian artists and institutions throughout Austria.
On the panel, writer Tanya Malyarchuk, children’s book author Oksana Maslova, musician Roman Trubchaninonv and Georg Schöllhammer from Office Ukraine, moderated by Simon Mraz, will discuss the work of Ukrainian artists in Austria.

Office Ukraine. Two Years of Support for Ukrainian Artists. Book

Panel discussion with Roman Trubchaninov, Oksana Maslova, Tanya Malyarchuk, Georg Schöllhammer.
Moderation: Simon Mraz
Date: November 24, 2024, 11 – 11.45 am
Venue: Donau Lounge, Messe Wien, Hall D
Address: Trabrennstrasse 7, 1020 Vienna

Studio Visit and Get Together with artist Andreas Fogarasi

Thursday, November 14, 2024 at 5 pm

As part of this Get Together, Ukrainian artists and cultural professionals will have the opportunity to visit the studio of Andreas Fogarasi as part of a guided tour, view his works and talk to the artist about his understanding of art and his professional experiences.

In his installations, architectural interventions, sculptures, videos and photographs, artist Andreas Fogarasi  (*1977, Vienna) deals with the act of showing and of  representation. Formally inspired by Minimal Art and Conceptual Art, Fogarasi’s works are both documentary and autonomously sculptural. Fogarasi was awarded the Golden Lion for his exhibition in the Hungarian Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007 and received the Otto Mauer Prize in 2016.

Solo exhibitions a.o.: Kunsthalle Wien, Georg Kargl Fine Arts, Vienna, Proyectos Monclova, Mexico City, Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst, Leipzig, Museum Haus Konstruktiv, Zurich, Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art, Toronto, Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid, Ludwig Forum, Aachen, MAK, Vienna

After the official part drinks will be provided. We will be happy to see you there!

Event in English language.

Studio Andreas Fogarasi
Address: Zur Spinnerin 43, 1100 Vienna

© Andreas Fogarasi

August 2024

Presentation of the publication ‘Office Ukraine. Two Years of Support for Ukrainian Artists’

Secession
September 25, 2024, at 6 pm

We are pleased to present the publication Office Ukraine. Two Years of Support for Ukrainian Artists (Verlag für moderne Kunst).  

The publication presents the diverse activities of Office Ukraine over two years throughout Austria and provides insights into our collaboration with artists and institutions. 

The book also includes interviews with Ukrainian artists and art workers who came to Austria fleeing the war, as well as essays by Ukrainian author Tanya Malyarchuk about personal experiences with those who stayed in Ukraine and linguist and migration expert Ruth Wodak on global migration policy.

Over the course of our work, we have organised–mostly in cooperation with art institutions and culture initiatives–about 270  events with around 580 invited Ukrainian artists and theorists, many of them making their way onto the pages of the book. Also, each part of the publication is illustrated with works by Ukrainian artists with whom we are in touch.

Our aim is to inform about our work and to raise awareness about the war in Ukraine and the situation of refugee artists in Austria. This publication was created with the intention of sharing our experiences and thus providing a starting point or even a guide for similar initiatives in the future.

Office Ukraine was founded in cooperation with the BMKOES (Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport), civil society, tranzit.at, < rotor > Center for Contemporary Art, Künstler:innenhaus Büchsenhausen, springerin and other initiatives. 

We invite you to the book presentation at Secession on 25 September at 6 pm. 

The event will be held in English, admission is free.

Program

Welcome address by Andrea Mayer / Secretary of State for Arts and Culture in the Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport (BMKOES)

Presentation of the publication by Johanna Hierzegger, Georg Schöllhammer, and Andrei Siclodi / Office Ukraine

Discussion with Judith Kohlenberger / migration researcher, Vienna University of Economics and Business, and Georg Schöllhammer / Office Ukraine

Talk with Kateryna Lysovenko / artist, Veronika Dirnhofer / artist, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, and Susanne Jäger / Office Ukraine

After the official part, Ukrainian finger food will be offered and there will be an opportunity for informal discussions.

Kaleidoscope – Maybe Displaced but Still Connected

Exhibition at PARALLEL VIENNA, September 12–15, 2024
Preview / Opening: September 11, 2024

Office Ukraine presents the exhibition Kaleidoscope – Maybe Displaced but Still Connected at Parallel Vienna, inviting Ukrainian artists currently in Ukraine and those living in other EU countries due to the war.

Office Ukraine’s contribution to Parallel Vienna revolves around the perspective of interconnection. Artists and cultural practitioners from Ukraine, who due to the Russian large-scale war of aggression and their subsequent flight to other countries are now scattered in various countries, are building their practice in different environments maintaining relations with each other. Displaced yet connected they are still influenced by the same elements of experience – war, distraction, and entanglement with both the country they left and the country they are in now.

The title is a metaphor for diverse perspectives, interpretations of reality, and life directions. Some works present narratives that mirror each other in tactile similarities and disrupted cultural contexts. Others Illustrate the meaning and relevance of having strong connections. 

Participating artists: Yelzaveta Derzhavnytska, EtchingRoom1, fantastic little splash, Dmytro Krasnyi, Anton Lapov, miki-mike 665, Mykhailo Shostak, Max Svitlo & Salt Salome


Parallel Vienna 2024:
Preview (by invitation only): September 11, 2024, 1–5 pm
Opening (public): September 11, 5–10 pm
Opening hours:
Thursday, September 12: 1–8 pm
Sunday, September 15, 11 am – 8 pm

Venue: Pavilion 16, Room 202, Otto-Wagner-Areal, Baumgartner Höhe 1, 1140 Vienna

Time Maschine

Ukrainian Artist's Ceramic Ticket Installation Opens at Vienna’s Main Train Station

Office Ukraine together with ÖBB are honored to present Time Maschine, an art installation by Anastasiia Vasylchenko Mamay, a Ukrainian artist who fled her homeland in March 2022 due to the Russian full-scale invasion. This installation is featuring ceramic train tickets in the design of the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB).

The artworks are on view from August 19 until September 15 at the main train station of Vienna, directly in front of the Ticket Shop.

The official opening will take place on September 5 at 5 pm.

Anastasia Vasylchenko Mamay, who now resides in St. Pölten with her young son, has created this piece as a reflection of her experience of displacement and the altered perception of time that accompanies such profound life changes. The ticket, made entirely of porcelain, embodies the fragile yet enduring nature of memory and hope. Anastasia describes her project as a Time Machine—a symbolic return to the past, a tangible link to her home, and a manifestation of the complex emotions surrounding her forced migration. The installation includes eleven porcelain tickets, each carefully crafted and displayed in a specially designed showcase at the station.

‘Many of us Ukrainians have found ourselves in a different reality, our sense of time altered by the uncertainty of our situation,’ Anastasia shares. ‘This project represents the longing to return home, a desire shared by countless displaced people. The ticket, always valid, is my way of holding onto the hope that we can one day return.’

Time Maschine is not just a personal story but a universal exploration of displacement, resilience, and the search for identity. Visitors are encouraged to explore this moving piece of art.

We would like to thank the Austrian Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport and Simon Mraz for the great support of this project.

For more information about the artist, the exhibition, or to schedule an interview, please contact Anastasiia Vasylchenko Mamay at anastasya.vasylchenko@gmail.com or Office Ukraine at office@artisthelp-ukraine.com

July 2024

Summer picnic

17:00, 19 July, Friday, Augarten

We invite you to our upcoming event, which is the summer picnic.
We’re looking forward to a laid-back summer day with you in a casual and relaxed atmosphere. The Office Ukraine team will be providing some drinks and snacks, and we’re sure you’ll all bring something great to share: blankets to sit on, food, drinks, music, thoughts, and questions.
We are meeting in Augarten. The meeting point tag can be seen in the image.
We will start at 17:00, 19 July, Friday.

Open Call for Ukrainian Artists: “Artist of the Week”

We are excited to announce our “Artist of the Week” project, a unique opportunity for Ukrainian artists (currently based in Austria or Ukraine) of all artistic fields to showcase their work on the social media channels of our platform.

Each week, we will feature one artist on Instagram to share their creative vision with a wider audience.

Please submit your CV/ short bio and the content you would like to present (e.g. high quality images of your work, videos or any other formats that best represent your art and are suitable for social media).

Type of Instagram Video Size and Dimensions Video Format

Instagram Video 1080 x 1350p MP4, MOV, GIF

Instagram Story 1080 x 1920p MP4, MOV, GIF

Instagram Reel 1080 x 1920p MP4, MOV, GIF

Instagram Carousel Video 1080 x 1920p MP4, MOV, GIF

Instagram Photos                 1080x1080p                    JPEG

Along with the answers to the following questions:

  • What’s your Discipline? And how has your artistic practice changed since you came to Austria?

  • Where are you From? / Where are you currently based?

  • From your perspective, what is the difference between Austrian and Ukrainian art scene?

  • What are you working on now?

  • Please no longer than 1500 signs altogether.

* Participants will then be selected by Office Ukraine team.

We look forward to sharing your artistic journey with our audiences!

Submit your materials to the Google form.

Applications are reviewed weekly, if you’re not selected for the nearest week – don’t worry, you’ll be put into a posting schedule and featured within the upcoming weeks.

Office Ukraine can shorten or edit your texts if needed, but you will be contacted additionally about it.

June 2024

Cooking together at Odesa memories exhibition

26.06, 17:00, Viktor Adler Markt 129

Wednesday Tanya Shtykalo and Vera Mantjuk will cook for you typical Odesa’s style mezze (starters): aubergine caviar, tomatoes with cheese, fried fish – Black sea sprat and others. Come by at 17:00 to taste it together!

Office Ukraine was invited at Stand129 to showcase works of two artists.
Tanya Shtykalo works with sculptures and shows some works that combine traditional Ukrainian embroidery in an unexpected way.
Vera Mantjuk is a photographer and will show the city of her childhood from a new angle.
Both of them came to Vienna from Odesa and will speak about beloved city in their works.

Looking forward seeing you on Wednesday 26.06, 17:00, Viktor Adler markt 129

Sleeping Dogs & Exactly As Imagined

Guided Tour of the exhibitions and Get Together at Klima Biennale & brut

Jun 5, 2024 at 5 pm

𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐔𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 is happy to invite you to our next Get Together meeting that will take place on 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟓 𝐩𝐦 at two exhibitions by the Department of Site-Specific Art / University of Applied Arts Vienna.

The Get Together network meeting will take place in the course of the exhibitions Sleeping Dogs and Exactly As Imagined by the Department of Site-Specific Art of the University of Applied Arts Vienna at the Klima Biennale Festivalareal Nordwestbahnhof and at brut nordwest in cooperation with Klima Biennale.

Teachers and students from the Site-Specific Art department will guide you through their project and discuss the collaboration with Klima Biennale and brut:

Sleeping Dogs
“What if the proverbial dogs went on strike by not waking up from their sleep? The labour power of non-human animals is exploited in many ways in contemporary bio capitalism, mostly without it being understood as work. This concerns not only their actual productive power, but also the reproductive abilities of (female) animals: Animals become meat, milk becomes food. Non-human animals also often contribute to shaping the environment without this being perceived as labor. The cultural and material logistics established by humans have been producing and utilizing animal life as a form of capital for centuries.
The works presented in this exhibition by graduates of the Department of Site-Specific Art (University of Applied Arts) are dedicated to this unequal division of labour between human and non-human animals. It introduces the motif of sleep as a subversive strategy. Sleep can appear in many different guises: Rest, hibernation, breeding phase. The works shown here thus pose the question of the extent to which animals and humans can resist these forms of exploitation by consciously taking breaks. However, they also address the fact that it may be too late to wake the dogs: that human trust in the regenerative processes of nature is disproportionate to the consequences of systematic destruction.”

Artists: Ivana Lazić, Ana Likar, Raphael Reichl and Ursula Gaisbauer in collaboration with Marie Janssen and Anna Brock, David Fedders, Marie Filippovits, Lena Heinschink, Laura Josic, Tutku Kocabas, Flores Paul, Yevhenia Pavlova, Michelle Schäfer, Anastasiia Verzun, Lin Wolf, Ida Zahradnik
Curator: Marlies Pöschl

Exactly As Imagined 
“We – a temporary collective of art students, artists, and cultural workers – explore the art exhibition as a place of collective articulation of difference(s) and resistance as well as a place of interconnectedness and interdependence within and without. Exactly As Imagined is the result of a process rather than working towards a curated outcome. It is a collective proposal that includes an intervention in public space, an exhibition, and ongoing care work.”

Participants: Lin Wolf / Ella Texaco & Florin Falloni / Evgeny Tantsurin / Maryam Shahidifar / Felix Schwentner / Artur Schernthaner-Lourdesamy / Camilla Ruh / Judith Raupp / Yevheniia Pavlova / Laura Sofia Oyuela Flores / Veronika Nikiforova / Arina Nekliudova / Paula Mudri / Konstantin Leitner / Laura Ana Josic / Anne Faucheret / Gala Alica

April 2024

In the Eye of the Storm

Guided tour of the exhibition and Get Together at Lower Belvedere

April 24, 2024, at 4 to 6 pm

The Get Together network meeting will take place in the course of the exhibition “In the Eye of the Storm. Modernism in Ukraine” of the Belvedere. This comprehensive exhibition is the first presentation outside Ukraine to explore the development of modern art in the cultural centers of Kyiv, Lviv and Kharkiv during the first half of the 20th century. Modernism in Ukraine is revealed to be both international and avant-garde. From Jugendstil to Constructivism, the exhibition tells the history of cultural identity in Ukraine. All these developments were brutally halted by Stalinist repression in the 1930s. 
More Information: https://www.belvedere.at/en/eye-storm 
At this Get Together, a cooperation of Office Ukraine and Belvedere, the visitors to the event  will have free admission to the exhibition.

After a free guided tour in Ukrainian as well as in English language (approx. 60 min), there will be time for informal discussions over drinks and snacks with the team of the Belvedere.

In the Eye of the Storm. Modernism in Ukraine
Lower Belvedere, Rennweg 6, 1030 Vienna
Duration of the exhibition: until June 2, 2024

March 2024

The exhibition Liutyi / Лютий / February

The exhibition Liutyi / Лютий / February is a sign of solidarity with Ukrainian artists and cultural workers. On the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in violation of international law and ten years after the annexation of Crimea by Russia, the situation for the attacked country in this ongoing conflict is extremely difficult, with serious consequences for all Ukrainians who either must cope with everyday life in war or are now in exile.

As part of an open call organized by Office Ukraine, Ukrainian artists and students of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna from Ukraine were invited to submit works from the realities of their lives for the exhibition project. In collaboration with Veronika Dirnhofer (Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts / Drawing class) and the Ukrainian curator Lizaveta German  (co-founder of the Kyiv gallery the Naked Room and co-curator of the Ukrainian pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2022), 21 Ukrainian artists were selected from the approximately 60 applications to exhibit their works from 20 to 24 February 2024 at the Exhibit Eschenbachgasse( Eschenbachgasse 11 | Ecke Getreidemarkt, 1010, Vienna) to present their works.

Opening: Tuesday, 20 February 2024 at 18:00
Opening hours 21 to 24 February 2024 from 12:00 – 18:00
Commemoration event: Saturday, 24 February 2024 at 18:00, 18:30 performance by Oksana Maslova

Participating artists
Yehor Antsyhin, Olga Blagov (Blagoveshchenska), Yelyzaveta Burtseva, Julia Dubovyk, Lucy Ivanova, Veronika Kaliberda, Ed Kolodiy, Danylo Kovach, Hélène Litorelle, Polina Makarova, Vera Mantjuk, Oksana Maslova, Maria Pylypenko, Roksolana Rohovska, Margo Sarkisova, Lena Semenenko, Olena Shtepura, Socia Collective, Julia Stakhorska, Anastasiia Vasylchenko Mamay, Ania Zorh.
We would like to thank Veronika Dirnhofer, the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, the BMKÖS and ERSTE Foundation for their support.

LIUTYI / ЛЮТИЙ / FEBRUARY

Two years of war / Two years of solidarity

Два роки війни / Два роки солідарності

The exhibition Liutyi / Лютий / February is a statement of solidarity with Ukrainian art and culture on the occasion of the second anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The show with 21 participating artists from Ukraine depicts the various aspects faced by people from a country at war in terms of forced emigration. Memory is one of the exhibition’s thematic focal points. Among other works on the subject,  artistic associations in the form of war diaries due to a radically changed reality and abandoned infrastructure in Ukraine are shown, and the most valuable – be it people or memorabilia – is documented as a concise depiction. 

The examination of traditional motifs of Ukrainian culture, also strongly represented, can be read as a recourse to and reassurance of one’s own identity, oscillating between irony and deliberate pathos. The confrontation with the physicality of human existence fans out the broad spectrum between life and death that is at the heart of every war. Alongside the – still – intact human body, other works show threatened, damaged, and deformed human figures, some of which already seem to be dissolving into the ghostly sphere. 

Landscapes devoid of people refer to the state of nowhere, the transitory in-between on a train journey between home and exile. Sometimes, however, the rift between what is here and what is there also becomes a subtle game with identities that transforms the original cultural horizon into something new.

And what becomes evident when the various works are viewed together in the exhibition: Over the kaleidoscopic narrative between war trauma, resilience, and continuation of life, which results from the various artistic perspectives, spreads a fine veil of exhaustion and the uncanny, but also the spirit of resistance.

 

© Valerie Maltseva / Yuliia Sudarchykova