The School of Kyiv biennial opens today

The School of Kyiv biennial of contemporary art opens today in the Ukrainian capital.

The biennial aims both to shed light on the global cultural influence of the Ukrainian avant-garde and to provide a platform for political, social and cultural debate on contemporary issues. Curated by Austrian curators and writers Georg Schöllhammer and Hedwig Saxenhuber, the biennial will present work from artists around the world. Approximately one third of the artists will be from Ukraine, while international participants will include artists William Kentridge, Haim Sokol and Andreas Siekmann and writers Anne Applebaum, Timothy Snyder and Owen Hatherley. The programme will feature 40 Russian thinkers and artists.

Although this is the second Ukranian biennial, the organisers have stressed that the School of Kyiv represents a new format and concept. Beyond an exhibition of contemporary art, the School of Kyiv will join together art and public discussion, taking over unusual spaces such as two floors of the former department store House of Clothes and creating an alternative public space of reflection.

This new format is reflected both in the name and structure of the biennial. The School of Kyiv is comprised of six schools: The School of Realism, The School of Landscape, The School of Image and Evidence, The School of the Lonesome, The School of Abducted Europe and The School of the Displaced. Each school will hold exhibitions, lectures, discussions and public activities.

The School of Kyiv biennial will run from 8 September to 1 November in more than 15 locations throughout Kyiv, with additional events taking place in 11 European cities. The School of Kyiv will be open and free to the general public.

Read The Calvert Journal‘s interview with the School of Kyiv’s curators here.