Ukrainian Wartime Art Exhibitions in U.S. Universities Explore Resistance and Epistemic Agency
Svitlana Biedarieva organized two exhibitions showcasing Ukrainian wartime art at universities in the United States. The first, titled The Rift: Ukrainian Art in Resistance, will run from January 17 to February 16, 2024, at the University of Kansas. Following that, RESISTANCE: Ukrainian Art of Freedom is scheduled for February 24 to March 21, 2025, at Michigan State University. Artists such as Piotr Armianovski, Yevgenia Belorusets, and Lesia Khomenko are featured. The exhibitions focus on themes of resistance and decoloniality, aiming to incorporate Ukrainian art into global academic discourse. A panel discussion on January 17, 2024, will include Biedarieva. Notable works include Khomenko's 'Working on User-Generated Footage from the Russian-Ukrainian War' and Kulikovska's '254. Action,' promoting epistemic justice against authoritarianism.
Key facts
- Svitlana Biedarieva curated two exhibitions of Ukrainian wartime art at U.S. universities in 2024 and 2025.
- The Rift: Ukrainian Art in Resistance was held at University of Kansas from January 17 to February 16, 2024.
- RESISTANCE: Ukrainian Art of Freedom was held at Michigan State University from February 24 to March 21, 2025.
- Featured artists include Piotr Armianovski, Yevgenia Belorusets, Alevtina Kakhidze, Dana Kavelina, Lesia Khomenko, Maria Kulikovska, Olia Mykhailiuk, Mykola Ridnyi, Elena Subach, and Serhiy Zhadan.
- Biedarieva's research draws on decolonial theory and is informed by her 2024 publications 'Art in Ukraine between Identity Construction and Anti-Colonial Resistance' and 'Ambicoloniality and War: The Ukrainian-Russian Case'.
- A panel discussion on January 17, 2024 at University of Kansas included Biedarieva, Vitaly Chernetsky, and Alevtina Kakhidze.
- The exhibitions examine Ukrainian art's evolution from 2014 to 2023, focusing on resistance to Russian neocolonial violence and epistemic injustice.
- Biedarieva argues Ukrainian art offers U.S. academia methods to resist violence, erasure, and authoritarianism through epistemic disobedience.
Entities
Artists
- Svitlana Biedarieva
- Piotr Armianovski
- Yevgenia Belorusets
- Alevtina Kakhidze
- Dana Kavelina
- Lesia Khomenko
- Maria Kulikovska
- Olia Mykhailiuk
- Mykola Ridnyi
- Elena Subach
- Serhiy Zhadan
- Vitaly Chernetsky
- Hannah Arendt
- Miranda Fricker
- Kristie Dotson
- Viktor Yanukovych
- Benjamin Rosenthal
Institutions
- University of Kansas
- Michigan State University
- Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery
- SCENE Metrospace Gallery
- KU Department of Visual Art
- Center for European and Eurasian Studies
- Department of Art, Art History, and Design at MSU
- Palgrave Macmillan
- Routledge
- Oxford University Press
- Cambridge Stasiuk Lecture
- ARTMargins Online
Locations
- Lawrence
- Kansas
- United States
- East Lansing
- Michigan
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Kyiv
- Mariupol
- Mykolaiv Region
- Crimea
- London
- United Kingdom
- New York
- Oxford