Liutyi / Лютий / February Event

Two years of war / Two years of solidarity

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, 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 Naked Room and co-curator of the Ukrainian pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2022), 21 artists were selected from the approximately 60 applications to present their works at the Exhibit Eschenbachgasse from February 20 – 24, 2024.

The show depicts the diverse aspects faced by people from a country at war who perceive this conflict from their perspective in exile. The works of the artists, most of whom now live in Vienna, thematize questions of remembrance, departure, and arrival. Using a wide range of artistic forms of expression – from painting and sculpture to photography, video art and a poetry performance – the various artistic positions form a kaleidoscopic narrative between war traumas, resilience, and new opportunities in Austria.

Opening: Tue 20/02/2024, 6 pm
Duration of the exhibition: 21/02/2024 – 24/02/2024, 12–6 pm, admission free
Commemorative event: Sat 24/02/2024, 6 pm with at performative reading by Oksana Maslova at 6:30 pm
Venue: Exhibit Eschenbachgasse, Eschenbachgasse 11 | Corner of Getreidemarkt, 1010 Vienna

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.