Exhibition by Davyd Chychkan “The Lost Opportunity”
2 – 26 February 2017
Visual Culture Research Center and Political Critique invite you to the solo exhibition by Davyd Chychkan, opening on Thursday, February 2, at 19:00.
On Saturday, February 4, at 16:00 the artist will make a guided tour around the exhibition.
Focusing on war and the post-Maidan situation in Ukraine, The Lost Opportunity poses the questions that have been in the air for more than three years: what was this event, and what it could have become. According to the author, Maidan is a lost opportunity for the Ukrainian society to accomplish a social revolution, which would mean not only to defend dignity, but rather finally gain dignified living conditions.
In his graphic works, the artist unveils the causes of this loss and speaks about its consequences. One of such consequences is the “decommunization” policy – a paradoxical phenomenon, which shapes the traits of counterrevolution in the context of political ignorance. Davyd Chychkan ironically suggests to the followers of “decommunization” that they should be consistent and “decommunize” not only the Soviet heritage, but also such Ukrainian socialists as Ivan Franko, Mykhailo Drahomanov, and Lesya Ukrainka. The artist emphasizes that the lack of political culture in Ukrainian society preconditions “decommunization,” and the low level of political consciousness on the post-Soviet space facilitates the reactionary Kremlin propaganda machine.
For Davyd Chychkan, his political activism is inseparable from the artistic practice. As an anarchist, with his artistic works (from street art, to graphic series) he politicizes the discourse of contemporary Ukrainian art, turning it into an instrument for political transformation of society.
Davyd Chychkan is an artist, anarchist-communist, activist of Black Rainbow and ЛКПД (LCUD, Libertarian Club of Underground Dialectics). He lives and works in Kyiv.
Opening hours: Tue – Sun, 14:00 – 20:00. Closed on Monday.
Admission is free.
Organized by Visual Culture Research Center
Supported by: ERSTE Stiftung and Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
