Thanks to the Residency – I Came to Lysychansk

When applying for the online residency Landscape as Monument and filling out the concept of what I would do and what themes interested me, I had no idea how this format of collective artistic work would actually unfold. I assumed that “online” would allow me to balance participating in the residency with going to work. But things turned out differently. The online residency demanded just as much time and involvement as an in-person one.

This created a conflict and a problem: my unpreparedness to fully engage, and my lack of focus during group meetings.

I should note that I have always loved residencies as a form of artistic work and communication. I’ve found great joy in creating art under unusual circumstances and in actively interacting with other artists. But in the online format, my environment was my everyday work routine, and communication was limited by language barriers and a rapid loss of attention. The landscape I admire so much became a conditional field for conversation.

One of the themes raised in the residency’s concept was the image of the monument to the first coal mine in Lysychansk and the ecological issues surrounding coal mining in eastern Ukraine. With prior residency experience, I longed to immerse myself in the physical space of my ideas. I felt drawn to Lysychansk. I believed that field research would yield better results than endless Zoom calls in Kyiv.

As the residency approached its end, it required results that I did not have. I felt embarrassment and shame before the curators who had trusted in my abilities and responsibility.

Then, a miracle happened: I was given the opportunity to go on-site for field research, which could inform future work. But this raised another problem and more questions: How could I avoid aestheticizing the region, exploiting its problems and scars?

I decided not to rush to create a project. If there wasn’t enough time, I would postpone the research. In this case, the trip itself—a brief acquaintance with the city—was the key element.

In the video, I am standing on an old spoil heap, with a view of the city behind me.

Thanks to the residency, I came to Lysychansk.

Thanks to Sasha, Dima, the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, and Izolyatsia.