Artworks by:
Olia Fedorova
Oleksandra Fedoruk
Fight, Sister
An exhibition dedicated to the International Day of the Struggle for Women's Rights - "Women Avant-garde: FIGHT, SISTER!", was presented at the historical and cultural institution Volkskundemuseum Wien. This project is a cultural dialogue of women from different countries united by the struggle for freedom. 20 female artists working in the field of contemporary art presented installations, video-audio performances, paintings, photographs, collages, a collection of the Ukrainian fashion brand “… and Flowers Will Sprout on the Ashes”, which combines tradition and modernity, an installation of a 4.25m tall motanka doll and a short documentary from the Ukrainian House in Davos in 2023.
The curator of the project is Yana Gryniv, the founder of the Art Contact Ukraine platform about the exhibition:
"This exhibition is a platform for highlighting the boundless power of women in uncertain times. It also aims to draw attention to the importance of protecting human rights, equality, the need to have a strong life position and human- oriented values. Women at war, women on the home front, in temporary exile and those who are forced to fight for human rights around the world. All of them became the inspiration of this exposition, that is why I decided to create this project to unite and support each other." The curator emphasizes the importance of having true values to be strong: "We share our stories, memories, beliefs, our thoughts and emotions. We broadcast the image of a woman through the emotional prism of our new reality. We are talking about what role a woman plays in difficult situations and at harsh milestones in history. Women's rights are human rights. Respect for human rights is the basis of freedom and comes from the environment in which we grow up and affects the development of society as a whole. With our thoughts and actions, we shape the image of the world in which we want to live."
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The exhibition was accompanied by a panel discussion “A year after: what is my stronghold?”, discussion “Challenges in Violence Prevention”, guided tour through the exhibition with the artists, guided tour through the exhibition with the curator Yana Gryniv.​
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Artists: Olena Shtepura, Ksenia Datsiuk, Marichka Ruban, Anastasiia Yakovenko, Olia Fedorova, Yana Gryniv, Mitra Shahmoradi, Oleksandra Fedoruk, Olga Blagoveshchenska, Elga Zefirova, Anna Movenko, Eugenia Seleznova, Alina and Karina Gaeva, Alla Stashchenko, Olga Pigovych, Dzvinya Podlyashetska, Elena Kristofor and Laura Sperl, Josepha Edbauer.
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Curated by: Yana Gryniv, founder of Art Contact Ukraine
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Time: March 7-12, 2023
Location: Volkskundemuseum Wien, Vienna, 1080, Laudongasse 15-19​
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Discussion “A year after: what is my stronghold?”
Katrina Kaktina (Latvia), Ambassador at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Latvia to the UN, OSCE and other international organizations in Vienna, Austria
Georgia Holmer (USA), member of the Advisory Board of Women without Borders, expert on international peace, security and human rights, artist and writer
Natalia Gricovkanics (Ukraine), co-founder of Domivka.co (Vienna, Austria) in support of Ukrainian refugee women
Iryna Drobovych (Ukraine), strategy director of the national non-profit organization Ukrainian Women's Congress, which promotes gender equality in Ukraine
Moderator: Kate Younger (USA), IWM - Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen, permanent research associate and director of Ukrainian studies in the "European Dialogue" program, historian of modern Europe, with a special focus on Ukraine
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Discussion “Challenges in Violence Prevention”
Organized by: Art Contact Ukraine and Ukrainian Women´s Power Club
Nataliya Tereshchenko, co-founder of the Ukrainian Women´s Power Club
Teresa Binder-Sebelkampf, coach in domestic violence prevention
Moderated by: Yana Gryniv, art curator​