Somerset House, The Strand, London WC2R 1LA
Distinguished critic and curator Konstantin Akinsha delivers an assessment of the current situation for Ukrainian art, and artists, in and outside the country. He explains about the destruction of cultural property as well as the impossible situation for contemporary artists there. While many, mainly female, Ukrainian artists are dispersed across Europe, young artists find themselves thrust into the centre of attention. Acknowledging that the bulk of the work being made has little chance to be deep and reflective, he introduces some he feels does reflect the situation. With a wealth of experience as curator and writer on Ukrainian art Akinsha addresses the inevitable gap between experience and expression and the nature of work coming out of the war.
Konstantin Akinsha is an art historian, curator and expert on art expropriated during the Second World War. His publications include Beautiful Loot: The Soviet Plunder of Europe’s Art Treasure (1995), with Grigorii Kozlov and Sylvia Hochfield.