Odesa Artists Demand 20-30 New Exhibition Spaces Amidst Critical Shortage

In Odesa, artists critically lack places to present their work.

This was reported in an interview with Intent by Dmytro Velychko, an artist and dean of the Faculty of Art and Graphic Arts at the South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after K.D. Ushynsky.

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He noted that even large public institutions have limited exhibition space, and private galleries are either highly specialized or generally focus only on commercial art.

"If we talk about state museums, we have one or two... But these are small spaces without the ability to regularly show a wide range of contemporary art. And galleries? One, two, three - and all of them are small," he said.

For comparison, Velychko recalls the experience of other cities. In Lutsk, for example, there is a powerful museum center that hosts dozens of exhibitions every year. In contrast, in Odesa, a large city with an active artistic environment, there are barely enough exhibition venues even for single projects.

"When we opened a large exhibition space on Fontanska Road, we received 86 proposals from artists with ready-made projects in the first four days after the launch. This shows a huge demand," the artist added.

Another problem, according to the artist, is that most of the available spaces have a narrow theme and are not ready to accept projects of different directions. This further narrows the opportunities for local authors.

He believes that Odesa needs new, modern, open to experimentation exhibition platforms - at least 20-30 additional spaces - to meet the demand and give talented artists a chance to be seen.

"Now everything is simple: we plastered the walls, hung the lights, and the location is ready. Everything is mobile and accessible, all you need is a desire and a decision," he explained.

Back in 2009, Roman Velychko drew attention to the experience of Romania: the small city of Galati already had a state museum of contemporary art, which Odesa still does not have.

"Why are we lagging behind? Why does nothing change? It's only getting smaller. And we know that it doesn't work without support from the state or local authorities," the artist added.

An alternative is to cooperate with public organizations and attract grants, but this requires not only funds, but also a team of specialists who are ready to devote themselves to this work. However, artists should not wait, but act on their own: when there is no exhibition hall, they should take their works outside, create open-air art quarters, and organize exhibitions on easels in parks and squares.

"A city with such a history and cultural potential cannot be left without a modern museum, without a large exhibition center. It is necessary not only for artists, but also for Odessans," he emphasized.

The artist admitted that it was only in Kyiv that he was able to hold his first full-fledged exhibition, and in Odesa he had difficulty finding locations.

Intent wrote that the Hrushevsky Library in Odesa has launched an art project called The Nearest Shelter, which addresses the topic of security.

Intent also talked to concert photographer Oleksandr Voropaev about how to create a brand that could be called the Odesa School of Photography, about artists traveling abroad, and how to earn up to £20,000 per project.

Ірина Глухова