Book Talk: Art in Ukraine Between Identity Construction and Anti-Colonial Resistance

Portrait photo courtesy of the author. Book cover courtesy of Routledge.
Please join us for a book talk featuring Art Historian, Svitlana Biedarieva discussing her edited volume, Art in Ukraine Between Identity Construction and Anti-Colonial Resistance, recently published by Routledge. The book traces the development of art practices in Ukraine from the 2004 Orange Revolution, through the 2013–2014 Revolution of Dignity, to the ongoing Russian war of aggression.
Contributors explore how transformations of identity, the emergence of participatory democracy, relevant changes to cultural institutions, and the realization of the necessity of decolonial release have influenced the focus and themes of contemporary art practices in Ukraine. The chapters analyze such important topics as the postcolonial retrieval of the past, the deconstruction of post-Soviet visualities, representations of violence and atrocities in the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine, and the notion of art as a mechanism of civic resistance and identity-building. The book will be of interest to scholars of art history, Eastern European studies, cultural studies, decolonial theory, and postcolonial studies.
Dr. Biedarieva’s presentation will highlight the artists whose works are featured in the book as well as in the Zimmerli Art Museum's collection of Soviet Nonconformist Art and Arts of Eurasia.
Book Summary: This edited volume traces the development of art practices in Ukraine from the 2004 Orange Revolution, through the 2013-14 Revolution of Dignity, to the ongoing Russian war of aggression. Contributors explore how transformations of identity, the emergence of participatory democracy, relevant changes to cultural institutions, and the realization of the necessity of decolonial release have influenced the focus and themes of contemporary art practices in Ukraine. Chapters analyze such important topics as the postcolonial retrieval of the past, the deconstruction of post-Soviet visualities, representations of violence and atrocities in the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine, and the notion of art as a mechanism of civic resistance and identity-building.
Please RSVP in advance as space is limited.
Pre-register here for free visitor parking, which allows you to park in Lots 11, 16, 26 & 30. Until this process is completed, your vehicle is not registered and you may receive a citation. Special event parking and special event permits are only for visitors to the university and does not include free metered parking. Faculty, staff, and students must park only in lots where they are authorized to park. Please note, this is a unique link for this event and not valid for any other dates or events.
- For directions to campus parking lots, search by the lot number on the Rutgers map.
- Lot 16 is the closest to the Zimmerli, located behind the museum. For directions, you also may use the address 536 George Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, which is the building located next to the lot entrance.
Editor and presenter: Svitlana Biedarieva (Art Historian specializing in Modern and contemporary Ukrainian, Eastern European, and Latin American art)
Additional book contributors: Asia Bazdyrieva, Kateryna Botanova, Kateryna Filyuk, Illia Levchenko, Alisa Lozhkina, Ksenia Nouril, Oleksandra Osadcha, Ewa Sulek, and Jessica Zychowicz, and a preface by Vitaly Chernetsky.