Maria Kulikovska's 254 Performance at Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin Re-enacts Protest Under Ukrainian Flag
From April 27 to May 4, 2022, Ukrainian artist Maria Kulikovska showcased her performance piece titled 254 at the Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin. During one-hour sessions at noon, 3 PM, and 5 PM, she lay still on the steps draped in a Ukrainian flag. This work, commissioned by Director Klaus Biesenbach for Gallery Weekend Berlin, sought to generate funds for Be an Angel e.V. It echoed her 2014 protest at Manifesta 10 in St. Petersburg, where she faced detention. Kulikovska, born in 1988 in Kerch, Crimea, fled to Linz, Austria, following Russia's annexation in 2014. The number 254 signifies her refugee registration, with her art delving into themes of identity, borders, and the diaspora amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Key facts
- Maria Kulikovska performed 254 at Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin from April 27 to May 4, 2022
- She lay under a Ukrainian flag for one-hour sessions daily at noon, 3pm, and 5pm
- The performance re-enacted her 2014 protest at Manifesta 10 in St. Petersburg, where she was detained
- Kulikovska was born in 1988 in Kerch, Crimea and now lives in Linz, Austria
- She fled Crimea after Russia's 2014 annexation and left Kyiv in March 2022
- The title 254 refers to her refugee registration number from occupied Crimea
- The performance was commissioned by Director Klaus Biesenbach during Gallery Weekend Berlin
- She co-founded the School of Political Performance in May 2017 with Uleg Vinnichenko
Entities
Artists
- Maria Kulikovska
- Freda Fiala
- Mies van der Rohe
- Edward Whittaker
- Barry Bergdoll
- Terence Riley
- Lara Shalson
- Peggy Phelan
- Hannah Zafiropoulos
- George King
- Uleg Vinnichenko
Institutions
- Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin
- Manifesta 10
- Upper Austrian State Museums
- Museum of Modern Art
- Cambridge University Press
- Cambridge Scholars Publishing
- Routledge
- The Calvert Journal
- Art Represent
- Be an Angel e.V.
- Gallery Weekend Berlin
- School of Political Performance
- Hermitage's General Staff Building
- ARTMargins Online
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- St. Petersburg
- Russia
- Kerch
- Crimea
- Ukraine
- Linz
- Austria
- Kyiv
- Paris
- France
- Boulevard de Charonne
- Moscow
- Moskva River
- Crimean Bridge
- Potsdamer Platz
- Landwehr Canal
Sources
- ARTMargins —
- ARTMargins —