Maria Lanko
Curator in Ukraine: between an imported professional and an artist as an institution
The mysterious Anglicism "curator" has emerged in Ukraine around the Wall breakdown times, together with contemporary art as such and first Western art practitioners arriving to the newly recreated state. Naturally, in the first decade of independence the curator’s position was occupied by professional expats, whereas the second half of 2000s witnessed uprising of “authentic” (if one can ever use this word in such context) curatorial practices.
Maria Lanko as a participant of “Curatorial Platform”, the first institutional educational program in this field will address the questions of curatorial responsibility, horizontal relation models and curating as artistic practice by introducing the recent history of curatorial experiences in Ukraine.
The lecture will be accompanied by a talk by Alevtina Kakhidze Curating the center or expanding history.
One day due to egoistic reasons I have decided to initiate a private residency program, says Kakhidze. I had to travel a lot before. Declaring yourself as a globally integrated artist you have to. Besides Ukraine is such isolated place, located far from everywhere... The thought has pinched me: if to invite people to my place in Ukraine and travel through them - to create a center around where I am now. I would stop travelling! The private residency program was founded in my home in Ukraine 4 years ago.
During her talk Alevtina Kakhidze will tell the list of the most important things to make a residency program almost ideal residency program. She will tell some secrets about what could make residents being mean, upset, bored during their stay and how to avoid it. Kakhidze will end with recent observations how the history of her place is getting changes since the residency program working.
