Bart De Baere on Ukraine, Russia, and the Cultural Catastrophe of War
Bart De Baere's essay for Afterall Journal Issue 54 examines the cultural dimensions of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He argues that the international art scene's responses have been shallow, often reducing Ukraine to a war zone while ignoring its vibrant artistic scene. De Baere, director of M HKA in Antwerp, describes the museum's partnership with PinchukArtCentre to organize exhibitions in Kyiv, Brussels, and the European Parliament under President Zelenskyy's patronage. He critiques Western tendencies to pair Ukrainian and Russian artists without consulting Ukrainians, and calls for a suspension of cultural relations with Russia while supporting Ukrainian artists like Alevtina Kakhidze, Nikita Kadan, and Lesia Khomenko. The essay reflects on the loss of the relational space between Ukraine and Russia, the need for Russian cultural actors to articulate ethical positions, and the possibility of learning from Ukraine's 'constructive criticality'. De Baere concludes that the future is being made now, urging the art world to move beyond mediatic gestures toward genuine capacity sharing.
Key facts
- Essay published in Afterall Journal Issue 54 'Voicings' on 14 March 2023.
- Author Bart De Baere is director of M HKA in Antwerp.
- Russian invasion of Ukraine began 24 February 2022.
- M HKA partnered with PinchukArtCentre and artistic director Björn Geldhof.
- Three parallel exhibitions held at M HKA, Bozar Brussels, and European Parliament under patronage of President Zelenskyy.
- PinchukArtCentre reopened in Kyiv summer 2022 with works from M HKA collection.
- Ukrainian artists mentioned: Alevtina Kakhidze, Nikita Kadan, Lesia Khomenko, Danylo Galkin, Anna Zvyagintseva, Yarema Malashchuk, Roman Khimei, Oleksandr Burlaka, Zhanna Khadyrova, David Chichkan.
- Russian artists mentioned: Evgeny Antufiev, Lyubov Nalogina, Dmitry Ozerkov, Yevgenia Belorusets.
- De Baere resigned from board of Russian Pavilion in Venice.
- Essay includes Russian translation published with syg.ma.
- References Jalal Toufic's concept of 'surpassing disaster'.
- Mentions Vladimir Putin's statements on Ukraine as 'our historical territories'.
- Discusses Ukrainian banknotes featuring Hryhorii Skovoroda, Lesya Ukrainka, Ivan Franko, Taras Shevchenko.
- Zelenskyy spoke at Cannes, Venice film festivals, Grammy Awards.
- Advantage Ukraine initiative launched at NYSE on 6 September 2022 seeking $400 billion investment.
- De Baere calls for 'capacity sharing' rather than mere support.
Entities
Artists
- Bart De Baere
- Alevtina Kakhidze
- Nikita Kadan
- Lesia Khomenko
- Danylo Galkin
- Anna Zvyagintseva
- Yarema Malashchuk
- Roman Khimei
- Oleksandr Burlaka
- Zhanna Khadyrova
- David Chichkan
- Evgeny Antufiev
- Lyubov Nalogina
- Dmitry Ozerkov
- Yevgenia Belorusets
- Sergey Bratkov
- Sergei Loznitsa
- Vasyl Cherepanyn
- Oleksiy Say
- Björn Geldhof
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy
- Vladimir Putin
- Jalal Toufic
- Alexander Etkind
- Hans Achterhuis
- Nikolay Trubetskoy
- Vladimir Vernadsky
- Hryhorii Skovoroda
- Lesya Ukrainka
- Ivan Franko
- Taras Shevchenko
- Marshal A. A. Grechko
Institutions
- Afterall
- M HKA
- PinchukArtCentre
- Bozar
- European Parliament
- European Cultural Commission
- Hermitage Museum
- Garage Museum of Contemporary Art
- V-A-C Foundation
- Russian Pavilion in Venice
- Ukrainian Film Academy
- Emalin
- Museum Ludwig
- L'Internationale
- syg.ma
- New York Stock Exchange
- Cannes Film Festival
- Venice Film Festival
- Grammy Awards
Locations
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Russian Federation
- Antwerp
- Belgium
- Brussels
- Kyiv
- Kharkiv
- Kherson
- Crimea
- Donbas
- Hostomel
- Sarajevo
- Bosnia
- Chechnya
- Georgia
- Moldova
- Belarus
- Kazakhstan
- Central Asia
- Caucasus
- India
- London
- Venice
- Cologne
- Davos
- St. Petersburg
- Moscow
- Lviv
- New York
Sources
- Afterall —