“Distant Tolerable Murders” – Polish-Ukrainian art exhibition in public space in the centre of Berlin | 31.08.2022-19.09.2022

With their works, the Polish and Ukrainian artists express solidarity and support for Ukraine and Ukrainian artists in times of Russian aggression. From 31 August, the result of the collaboration can be seen in Berlin’s urban space. The exhibition, initiated and organised by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, was realised in cooperation with Polish cultural institutions and art galleries and with the support of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

Fig. above: Photo IAM

The exhibition consists of 19 works of art – created collaboratively and in different techniques in tandem by 18 Polish and 19 Ukrainian artists – and will be and will be presented in Berlin until 19 September. Passers-by in Berlin who are now Alexanderplatz, around Potsdamer Platz or in the vicinity of the Hackescher Markt an discover the large-format art on the billboards, which are accessible to everyone. accessible to everyone. “Soaked in oil, coal-dusted, fossil-fuelled, freedoms. (…), begins the text on a drawing depicting a pipeline with red liquid. Other pictures show a smartphone with an air raid warning app in colours or a photo collage with pictures of roadblocks – metal, bags and stones piled up inside each other. In dialogue with each other, meaningful images have emerged that show, among other things, different reactions to the threat of violence,

and the arms trade, the will to fight for freedom, and environmental and resource management issues. and resource management issues.

“We started working on the exhibition “Distant Tolerable Murder” in the first days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. first days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Its structure is based on a close exchange between artists from Ukraine and Poland and reflects their shared experiences and heightened feelings of solidarity in times of war,” the exhibitors explain the exhibition curators Anna Lazar and Lada Nakonechna.

The process of creation took place mainly online – the artists from Poland were aware were aware that their interlocutors were and are in imminent danger of death. were and are in imminent danger of death. The exhibition “Distant Tolerable Murder” is therefore not only an artistic statement artistic statement, but also a report on a certain period of European history in the 21st century. European history of the 21st century.

The director of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Barbara Schabowska, emphasises the value and importance of this initiative. the importance of this initiative: “As the commitment to Ukraine and the Western public’s interest in the war seem to be waning, this exhibition will be an will be an unavoidable reminder, a clear and direct warning signal. It will warn us not only of our own indifference, but also of a false sense of sense of security – war is much closer than we might think.”

In today’s age of globalisation and pop culture, our perception of of war is increasingly simplified, while the voices of those affected are rarely are rarely heard. Thanks to the exhibition “Distant Tolerable Murder”, the experiences of Ukrainian experiences of Ukrainian artists – including those still in imminent danger – can reach a wider audience. in immediate danger – can reach a wider audience. The series of images also poses questions about the future

Europe in a time after Russian aggression and makes the audience aware, that the war is not only affecting Ukraine, but also their home countries.

Participating Polish and Ukrainian artists: Yana Bachynska and Piotr Pauk, Anatoliy Belov and Kacper Szalecki, Oleksandr Burlak and Marcin Polak, David Chichkan and Karol Radziszewski, Yaroslav Futymskyi and Ewa Zarzycka, Zukentiy Horobiov and Anna Konik, Alina Yakubenko and Bogdan Babenko, Alevtyna Kakhidze and Piotr Bosacki, Lesia Khomenko and Mikołaj Chylak, Olexii Kuchanskyi, Nastia Teor and Kasia Hertz, Katia Libkind and Max Skorwider, Kateryna Lysovenko and Monika Drożyńska, Daniil Nemyrovskyi, Denis Pankratov and Zuzanna Hertzberg, Valentyna Petrova and Lesia Pczołka, Nina Savenko and Ada Rączka, Anna Scherbyna and Liliana Zeic, Larisa Venediktova and Marek Wasilewski, Vova Vorotniov and Zbiok Czajkowski.

Together with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the exhibition is jointly organised by the Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź, the Arsenal Gallery in Białystok, the Municipal Arsenal Municipal Gallery in Poznań, the Labyrinth Gallery in Lublin, the Municipal Gallery in Gdansk, the International Cultural Centre in Kraków, BWA in Zielona Góra and the State Art Gallery in Sopot. The project is co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and national heritage.

About the Adam Mickiewicz Institute
The Adam Mickiewicz Institute is a national cultural institution founded in 2000. was founded. The aim of the Institute is, in cooperation with partners abroad and through international cultural exchange in dialogue with the public and in harmony with the and in harmony with the Polish language, to build up a lasting interest in Polish culture throughout the world Foreign policy. To date, the Institute has carried out projects in more than 70 countries on 6 continents. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute is supported by the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport.

WHEN?

Wednesday 31 August Until Monday 19 September, 2022

WHERE?

Alexanderplatz, around Potsdamer Platz and near Hackescher Markt