The residency for young artists at DCCC is over! It was attended by artists, photographers, performers and other cultural figures who are just starting their careers.
For almost three weeks, the residents attended lectures and workshops, presentations by experienced curators, historians, and cultural managers, met other artists, and learned more about Dnipro and working with local contexts. In particular, we had time to talk about the cultural codes of Prydniprovia, grassroots activism and self-organized spaces, and opportunities for artists in Ukraine and abroad. At the end of the project, the participants of the residency presented a joint zine with artistic statements. In total, we invited a dozen speakers, both Ukrainian and foreign, as lecturers. Among them:
- Julia Krivich, an artist and co-organizer of the Solidarity Center Solidarny Dom Kultury “Słonecznik” [Sunflower] at the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw: she told our participants about the opportunities in Poland, both formal and informal, about different art academies and cultural institutions, where to look for educational programs, how to apply for them, and the specifics of writing such applications;
- co-founders of the artist-run space Garage 127 / 127 garage in Kharkiv - curator, coordinator of the Office of Ukraine (Graz, Austria) Nastia Khlestova and artist, curator and founder of the contextual gallery NULLA Anton Tkachenko - they shared their experience of creating self-organized spaces, and also talked about the development of a zine as a result of researching such centers or a form of self-presentation as an artist;
- artist Olia Fedorova, who devoted her lecture to the topic of finding opportunities for creative self-realization: the artist told the residents how to apply for residencies and where to look for grants, about the importance of concepts for their works and how to make an interesting portfolio or CV, and also shared her life hacks in writing applications and pointed out the main mistakes of beginners;
- artist Mykyta Lyskov: he spoke about his career from a beginner to a prize-winner at international film festivals, where to look for inspiration for creativity and how animation can help;
- Maksym Kavun, a historian at the Yavornytsky Dnipro National Historical Museum: the museum worker spoke about the cultural codes of our region and their influence on contemporary art;
- the fantastic little splash team - journalist Lera Malchenko and director Oleksandr Hants: they talked about new media and multidisciplinary projects, as well as touched upon the topic of promoting oneself as an artist and pointed to the Dnipro context - how to work with it and in what way;
- Olena Kasperovych, curator and project manager of visual art at Jam Factory Art Center, who gave some tips on communication between artists and curators - how to write a motivation letter and CV, and create a portfolio;
- Waldemar Tatarczuk, Polish curator, performer and director of Galeria Labirynt: he spoke about his cooperation with Ukrainian artists and cultural institutions, both before and after the full-scale invasion of Russia. He also spoke about performance art, shared his experience, and got acquainted with the work of each participant of the residency to suggest how to develop further.
In addition to discussions with invited guests, the residents attended several excursions and additional lectures by the DCCC team:
- Iryna Polikarchuk, director of Artsvit, and Andrii Palash, director of Kultura Medialna, spoke about the formation and development of DCCC and Artsvit in particular: from how they were created, how their history began, to their aspirations, areas of work, notable projects, and collaborations;
- our project manager Oleksandra Shovkun showed the exhibition "Bus Station". etchingroom1 and the Special Project “Secondary Archive” - 14 audio statements by Ukrainian artists;
- Viktoria Nikitina, curator of the collection at Artsvit Gallery, conducted a tour of the storage facility where our collection is kept: she showed many different works, told about their features and value. She also gave some important advice on how to interest collectors in your work and how working with the collection can expand the exhibition project: both visually and semantically. In addition, Viktoria Nikitina spoke about the cult magazine NASH.
We thank everyone who made this residency possible! We hope to hold it every year so that more local artists have a space to develop and share their experiences.
Participants: Alina Ilchenko, Anna Halasiuk, Asya Yakovleva, Varvara Lytvynenko, Vlad Rud, Daria Danova, Zhenya Machkovska, Lana Chornohorska, Olena Misyura, Ulyana Khomich, and Yulia Bondar.
In this video, you will be able to get to know the residents, learn about their aspirations, understanding of the mission of art, and their impressions of the residency and Dnipro itself.
On June 12, 2023, the NGO Kultura Medialna, together with the Artsvit Gallery, announced an open call for artists to participate in an artistic residency in Dnipro. Artists aged 18-25 who are making their first steps in art were invited to participate. During the open call, we received over 80 applications and selected 10 participants.
The residency lasted two weeks, from July 20 to August 6. It included lectures, workshops, discussions, meetings with other artists, representatives of cultural institutions and grassroots initiatives. The lecture part was held several times a week on weekdays, and the intensives and workshops were held on weekends.
The residency program was built around the issues and problems faced by artists who are starting their careers. In particular, we talked about opportunities in art, participation in residencies and competitions, interaction with institutions, the importance of working with context, the peculiarities of presenting oneself as an artist, and much more. As a result of the project, the participants had to present the works they had been working on during the residency during the final event.
The organizers of the residency: NGO Kultura Medialna and Artsvit Gallery, with the support of the New Democracy Fund and Dansk Kulturinstitut / Danish Cultural Institute.
