“Working room” is going to the Independent Space Index 2022 in Vienna. We’ll present in digital form the works created by Ukrainian artists during the last 3 months in the residency and laboratory “Working room”. But more important – several artists will come to Vienna from Ukraine in order to tell their stories and exchange with peers on grass-root institutionalizing during the war.

“Working room” is and art residency and working laboratory, established by “Asortymentna kimnata” in Ivano-Frankivsk in early March 2022 for 17 IDP artists who were forced to move to the West of Ukraine. During 3 months the group of artists created more than 60 works – visual works, performances, videos, objects. All of those works were presented on a half-spontaneous exhibition and series of events in Ivano-Frankivsk from the 8th till 17th of June. It was located in the working rooms where some of the artists worked and stayed – in workshops, exhibition space and improvised bombing shelter.

The crew of the “Working room” consists of 17 artists: Sasha Kurmaz, Kateryna Aliynyk, Taira Umarova, Yaroslava Khomenko, Yevhen Arlov, Nikita Kadan, Masha Leonenko, Yevhen Samborsky, Leo Trotsenko, Olga Eremeeva, Yarema Malashchuk, Oleksandr Surovtsov, Oleksii Sai, Lesia Khomenko, Zhanna Kadyrova, Daniil Galkin and Kateryna Buchatska.
It was and is important for the “Working room” group to work in Ukraine and, being inside, to try to reflect on our artistic practice and consider different artistic strategies. One of the most visible approaches in the art of rapid response is to show the image of the victim or the winners. In this context, we think of alternative approaches, which include the actual role of art and the artist as a figure. One of the goals of the residency was to create new material objects that can testify in Ukraine and in the global context.

The art group of the “Working room” worked on a number of questions: for example, how does our perception of the human body change? How does dehumanization work in the context of war? Is it possible to talk about self-dehumanization or a reflection of propaganda dehumanization? What does the ecological aspect of war look like as a gesture of aggression not only of some people towards others, but also of people towards inhuman actors. How are memory projects used to justify this war and how are certain events / dates rewritten?

A huge gratitude to Francis Ruyter for the solidarity and invitation to Vienna.
The participation is supported by “Independent Synergies” Www.independent-synergies.com