In einer wunderschönen Gründerzeit-Wohnung, direkt am Ku’damm, haben 15 ukrainische KuenstlerInnen Zuflucht gefunden und schaffen hier einen neuen Ort der Kunst und Kultur. (Hier das offizielle info-pdf zum download: Ukraine Culture Community Ku´Damm)
AusserGewöhnlich Berlin veranstaltete vor dem Opening des „UCC – Ukrainian Culture Community“ einen der legendären Berliner Salons und sprach mit den Koordinatorinnen Maya Miteva und der Kuratorin Anastasia Pasechnik (Nastya).
Maya Miteva (coordinator): It's incredible what these people are creating here.
You cannot feel it, but it's been happening, like, within a week.
I have the feeling we've been inviting people, meeting people and developing the space in one week.
Alexander S. Wolf: Maya said. It's all too slow in Germany.
It's slow. It’s taking too much time. I said, “okay, this changes now.”
MM: With your help, yes.
I will give the word to Nastya because she's basically the person who is creating the whole thing, but we met at an exhibition at this creative house I founded several years ago.
We also have several Ukrainian artists now living there.
And, basically , that inspired me because we were looking to help people, but we received so many applications that Boris and I were crying and thinking, “what can we do now? How can we help?”
So, I wrote to all my friends in the real estate industry and asked, “Do you guys have anything?” And this apartment came out.
I was standing here with Nastya and my partner Sybille, and we were like: “okay, well, it's kind of strange.”
It was a brothel, right? But for Ukrainian artists, it would be amazing.
And that's what basically happened after I met Nastya. She said, “I will do it, we can do it.”
And I said, "Okay."
I don’t have time because I have a normal job, but you can do it.
And with this, I give you Nastya to explain what she did.
Nastya (Kuratorin, lacht): Faster. Faster, I am very thankful!
Guys be very thankful.
Be here and do some art here.
It's a big opportunity for Ukrainian artists and this place.
Es ist für die Arbeit, für das Leben, und um Kunst zu zeigen.
Ku’Damm is a little bit boring now, but we come here and show the avantgarde-wave-street art wave and make this more interesting and make bridge for Ukrainian culture and German culture.
Ukrainian people and German people, East and West.
We want to make this culture bridge and collaboration, communication because we have a lot of things we want to say and show.
And we're very thankful to be here.
This is our house, and this is our art.
And we want to show this power for Ukrainians and Ukrainian artists and make this avantgarde wave happen.
Alexander S. Wolf: Okay. So if I understand this right, this is going to be an exhibition place.
Nastya: Not only is it a workshop place, it's a performance place, DJ workshop, there will be plays, concerts, small concerts in this blue shower room.
It's a multiple place for exhibitions, workshop, collections.
We can even have stretching lessons with our dancer Maria.
Guys paint here. It’s an art salon.
ASW (laughs): So the neighbors are really looking forward to that!
You're going to have the space for one year.
So you have 12 months to make the Ku’Damm a cultural place again.
This is the “Kampfansage” for the East right here!
How many Ukrainian artists are living and working here?
Nastya: It's now 15.
ASW: There are two apartments. If you haven't seen it, you have to check the other one.
So you have two apartments and 15 people, 15 Ukrainian artists. That’s cozy!
Nastya: Ja, es ist gemütlich.
But we changed it and separated it into art and exhibitions and life. So art, business and life.
ASW: Well, you‘re showing us what work-life balance really means.
So that's the way to go: a short trip from your bed to the bar.
That’s a good Berlin concept, just fall into bed from the bar.
ASW: So what do you need? How can we help?
Nastya: Your attention, energy, contacts.
Maybe you see these guys and you like it, you want to make collaboration or invite someone, for example, create some exhibitions here and let's do it.
Let's do it together and enjoy this place.
It's my dream.
ASW: „Unser Traum“.
So, what we have is a three-level support system.
First is the basics. See how these lights keep going on and off all the time?
We need somebody who knows something about electricity.
We need somebody who knows something about electricity. If you have somebody who knows how to fix that, please raise your hand. (A few hands go up)
ASW: Übrigens, Ewa Herzog just walked in.
She organized the main support initiative from Berlin to Ukraine before the government started to even move.
She went to the parking lot when Ukrainian trucks came there and said, “Okay, we're empty, we will go back to Ukraine. You have stuff that we can carry to Ukraine?”
And she lived at this parking lot for one week, organizing and collecting from Berliners and giving it to Ukraine.
Inzwischen hast du eine Stiftung gegründet, Ewa.
And how many tons of goods have you organized to Ukraine?”
Ewa Herzog: 1500 tons.
ASW: A major logistical hub.
If you read in the paper, Germany delivered X, Y, Z, tons of goods to Ukraine. Much of that is through her initiative.
It's a private initiative, normally she's a fashion designer.
But this shows what Ukrainians can do.
Getting back to the three-level of support: So the basics, electricity, water.
We have to supply these fast.
So, this place also needs the permission.
I already spoke to a member architect about the city's permission.
We have to get this. These guys need permits for the DJ classes.
(laughs) After all, we don't want to see police here.
Unless they want to drink.
The second thing is, we have to make this place come alive.
So we have to collaborate.
We have to do interviews, lectures, meetings, parties and so on.
Make this place a Berlin-Ukraine place.
I spoke to Martin, one of our member journalists that we need to bring journalists here.
And the third thing: make it a legend.
Talk to everybody, communicate that.
This has to be heard in New York.
I want The New York Times to write about this place.
You know, we have to amplify and be the mouthpiece for this great project, to show that this is our answer to Putin.
So this is the three-level support system. Now, before we go into the groups who is living here, can we just get to meet everybody?
We end the official part of the Salon by introducing each of the Ukrainian artists.
Their talent and versatile work will blow your mind.
Who are the artists?
Antony Reznik
@antonyreznik
Viki Berg
@viki_berg_
Vlada Bilovodenko
@vlada.blw
Maria Lutsak
@marialutsak_art
Julia Samson
@samson.juli
Alina Coma
@comaalina
Sofia Golubeva
@sophia_golubeva
Anastasia Pasechnik
@avangard_nastya
Julia Levitska
@j.levitskaya
Somari
@so.ma.ri
Maria Kebu
@m_kebu
Sofiia Yesakova
@sofiia.yesakova
Alex
@mmorwwan
Alexandra
@ja_novoselivka
Live-Ausschnitt aus dem AusserGewöhnlich Berlin Salon vom 2. Juni, 2022 in der Ukraine Culture Community, Leibnizstr. 57, 10629 Berlin.
