Katarzyna Kozyra Foundation (Poland), in partnership with Artsvit Gallery (Ukraine) and Galeria Labirynt (Poland) invites women artists of the young generation to participate in the project ‘Secondary Archive. Women Artists in War’.
The initiative aims to create a unique repository of artistic testimonies in the face of the ongoing full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. We are committed to preserving contemporary Ukrainian art and discovering and giving visibility to women artists who address war trauma in their work.
The result of the project will be the addition of 15 new names (including 5 selected through an open call) to the Secondary Archive – an online, multinational art platform for women artists from Central and Eastern Europe. The Archive aims to discover, promote, and reflect on the socially engaged contemporary art of women of the region. In addition, all 15 female participants will be added to the archive ‘The Sky Is Open. Voices From Ukraine’, dedicated to collecting works of Ukrainian artists created after February 24, 2022. They will also be invited to participate in an exhibition in the Galeria Labirynt, Lublin, opening next year.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE: women artists working in any medium born in or after 1991 in Ukraine. who explore in their work the topic of war and trauma, particularly in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Open Call is open to anyone who identifies herself as a woman and as a Ukrainian artist.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS: artists interested in participating are required to send both English and Ukrainian versions of the following documents (Please prepare documents in two languages – Ukrainian and English):
- A brief biography (up to 550 characters).
- A short letter of motivation explaining your artistic practice (max. size – 2000 characters in one language). After being selected for the project, your final statement will be completed based on the letter of motivation in collaboration with curators. More information at https://secondaryarchive.org/about/
- Portfolio of 2 to 10 works mentioned in a letter of motivation, with the descriptions, in one PDF file (clickable links are possible).
- Optional CV.
SEND TO: foundation@katarzynakozyra.pl
MAIL TITLE: Secondary Archive. Women Artists in War Open Call
DEADLINE: 28th of December 2023
The decisions made by the jury will be final and non-negotiable. Questions and any additional information can be addressed to artsvit.ngo@gmail.com.
The results of the open call will be published by the latest in January 2024.
SELECTION PROCESS:
From the submitted entries, the jury will select 5 artists to be added to the Secondary Archive. In addition, the winners’ work will become part of ‘The Sky Is Open. Voices From Ukraine’, an archive of works by artists from Ukraine created after 24 February 2022. The honoring of the winning women artists will also take place through participation in the exhibition at the Galeria Labirynt, planned for early 2024.
INFO FOR APPLICANTS:
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION IN YOUR MOTIVATION LETTER AND FUTURE STATEMENT:
- Describe how you see yourself in the field of contemporary Ukrainian and in the international art scene.
- How does the full-scale invasion affect your understanding of artistic practice, the issues you address in your art, and the media you work with?
- Reveal personal, political, social, and ecological topics in your practice.
- What opportunities do you see for yourself during and after full-scale war?
- If you have refugee or experience of living under occupation, how has it influenced your practice?
CURATORS:
Kateryna Iakovlenko is a project supervisor, curator, and publicist from Ukraine. Editor-in-chief of the ‘Suspilne Kultura’ portal, researcher, author, and compiler of the book ‘Why There Are Great Female Artists in Ukrainian Art.’
Oksana Briukhovetska is a project supervisor, artist, curator, and publicist. She is a co-editor of the book “The Right to Truth. Conversations on Art and Feminism.” At the Secondary Archive, she is responsible for developing research concepts.
Alya Segal is an art historian, independent curator, and researcher at the Odesa National Fine Art Museum. She researches modern and contemporary Ukrainian art, the representation of women in it, regional movements, and underground collectives.
PARTNERS:
Katarzyna Kozyra Foundation
project manager: Iga Maria Szczepańska
project support: Pamela Bachar
graphic design: Marcel Kaczmarek
web developer: Justyna Michalska
Artsvit Gallery
project manager: Iryna Polikarchuk
project support: Oleksandra Shovkun, Viktoriia Nikitina
promotion: Stanislav Pyvonos
Galeria Labirynt
project manager: Waldemar Tatarczuk
project support: Monika Rejman
promotion: Alicja Gieleta
graphic design: Emilia Lipa
The project ‘Secondary Archive. Women Artists in War’ is supported by the European Union as part of the House of Europe programme.
