This exhibition brings together artists from Ukraine and Poland who share the same
time but live in very different realities. For the Ukrainian creators, the war is an everyday
reality — not just a topic, but a starting point; not merely a context, but the backdrop of
everything, especially for those serving in the armed forces or volunteering in frontline
regions. Their works testify not only to what surrounds them, but also to what lies within.
The Polish artists, by contrast, work from a place of relative peace — a country where
there is no direct threat, yet the shadow of war is still present: sometimes consciously,
sometimes subtly, and sometimes through the lens of our own perception. In the context
of this exhibition, these works gain a new resonance — as an echo, a counterpoint, a
memory of something that in Ukraine remains beyond the horizon.
The project does not seek to find a common denominator or draw comparisons – the
realities in which these artists live and create are too different. Yet, regardless of our
will, they inform ways of thinking, shape emotions, and find reflection in art. The
exhibition allows us to see them side by side – without simplification, without
hierarchies, in all their complexity.
The title “Different Places” refers to Steve Reich’s Different Trains, which juxtaposes
parallel trajectories of life in different realities. Here, as in Reich’s piece, the place in
which a person finds themselves determines their experience. In this exhibition, these
different places do not merge – instead, they open a field for understanding those
differences.
For the museum, this project is not only an opportunity for artists directly connected to
the Defence Forces of Ukraine to continue their professional practice, exhibit, and spark
discussions. It is also a way to connect with the museum’s collection – invisible to the
public due to its physical absence, but made manifest through visual references, indirect
allusions, or literal links. It is about the present moment – about art history being written
also by those who fight or volunteer.
The “Different Places” project explores the fragility of artistic practice, its discontinuity,
and vulnerability in the face of war. At the same time, it is about the ubiquity of art – its
ability to flourish in diverse contexts and take many forms. It shows that, even during
war, the artist remains sensitive and resonant with the shared anxiety, pain, and loss –
regardless of their location.
Participants:
Yevhen Arlov, SVITER art group (Max Robotov, Lera Poliankovska), Ivan Svitlychnyi,
Zhanna Kadyrova, Violetta Oliinyk, Dmytro Kupriian, Oleksandr Len, Pavlo Kovach,
Denys Pankratov, Davyd Chychkan, Sofiia Pomogaibo, Semen Khramtsov; and from
Poland — Katarzyna Kozira, Wilhelm Sasnal, Mirosław Bałka, Monika Sosnowska,
Karol Radziszewski, Barbara Gryka, Aleksandra Liput, Aneta Grzesikowska, Branas
Przemak, Jacek Malinowski.
The list remains open, the exhibition continues to respond to reality.
Curators: Oksana Barshynova, Waldemar Tatarczuk
Curator of the public programme: Halyna Hleba, art historian, co-curator of the
wartime art archive.
Organisers: Polish Institute in Kyiv, National Art Museum of Ukraine, Galeria Labirynt
(Lublin, Poland), Adam Mickiewicz Institute (Poland).
Media Partners: Suspilne Culture, Artslooker