Art Projects in Storage: new Cultural Spaces in Times of War

Abstract

The purpose of the work is to investigate and highlight art projects in protective shelters as new cultural spaces in wartime. The research methodology was based on an interdisciplinary approach that incorporated general scientific methods of analysing art projects during the Russian-Ukrainian war in new cultural spaces, a spatial approach to studying the transformation of underground spaces into cultural locations, and a case study method to demonstrate examples of specific artistic initiatives. Scientific novelty. The study of the topic of war and art, which interdisciplinary combines cultural studies, art history, psychology, sociology, urban studies, and other sciences, is extremely in demand today. The article is an attempt to fill a gap in existing research on the phenomenon of protective shelters, underground spaces, subways, and basements as new cultural spaces, as a forced temporary replacement for galleries, concert halls, and creative workshops for art projects during the Russian-Ukrainian war. Conclusions. After 24 February 2022, domestic scholars and practitioners raise a number of painful issues of the systematic extermination of Ukraine and everything Ukrainian in the context of genocide, ecocide, urbocide, linguicide, and culturocide. In response to the latter, the Ukrainian community is looking for new forms of preserving and reproducing cultural practices so as not to lose the right to its own culture and identity. New cultural spaces – underground storage facilities, subways, protective shelters, and basements – become a place for the implementation and conduct of artistic projects that serve to preserve identity, are a tool of resistance, resilience, and solidarity, and contribute to psychological support, documenting the events of the war and its experiences by the community. These are concerts by academic groups and popular musicians, exhibitions and creative laboratories at metro stations in Kyiv and Kharkiv, graffiti and wall paintings in storage facilities, presentations, performances, creative meetings and art practices in the basements and protective shelters of various institutions in Dnipro, Kherson, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Rivne. The phenomenon of art projects in storage facilities as new cultural spaces in times of war will still await scientific reflection and will undoubtedly find its place in history and culture textbooks. And now, we are witnesses to historical events that are happening before our eyes and with our participation, so we are living it together and can record such a unique cultural and artistic experience in real time.