installation view of “Dernier Poème” by Nikita Kadan
Kateryna Aliinyk, Michael Ayrton, Yevgenia Belorusets, Arthur Degner, Yaroslav Futymsky, Hans Grundig, Nikita Kadan, Dana Kavelina & Olha Marusyn, Georgies Kotsonis, Yuri Leiderman, Kateryna Lysovenko, M. Marizza, Ján Mudroch, Tetiana Nylivna Yablonska, Margaryta Polovynko, Anton Saienko and Ilya Todurkin
The title of the exhibition refers to the last poem mistakenly attributed to Robert Desnos, a French surrealist poet and member of the Resistance who died a month after his release from the Terezín Concentration Camp.
As part of the Biennial Matter of Art 2024, Ukrainian artist Nikita Kadan creates a curatorial intervention within the permanent exhibition of the Lidice Art Collection. Lidice is a site marked by extreme violence, yet it also embodies international anti-fascist solidarity. The exhibition features artworks from the collection and pieces by Ukrainian artists grappling with the realities of Russia’s war against Ukraine. These works express mourning for the deceased, the destruction of the country, and the loss of cultural heritage. Violence leaves deep imprints on our subconscious, shaping our thoughts, creative expression, and dreams while blurring the line between reality and the subconscious.
Kadan is particularly interested in how media and visual culture interpret and portray history. He examines the placement of monuments, the messages they and their images convey, and whether statues can narrate stories of crimes. His recent work incorporates materials destroyed by Russian bombs, including pieces of fences, roofs, and walls. Through his sculptures, he documents the Russian war, capturing the tension between the horrors of conflict and the peaceful life in Europe, intertwining themes of vulnerability with strength and complicity with resistance. Kadan weaves elements from his wartime dreams into his creations, further blurring the dividing line between the real and the unconscious.
Curated by Nikita Kadan
Nikita Kadan (b. 1982) is a Ukrainian artist who lives in Kyiv. He works with dark, complex stories drawn from our history. In his practice, he highlights how historical violence influences our presence. He has followed Russia's war against Ukraine, from the illegal annexation of Crimea and parts of the Donbas in 2014 to the full-scale invasion eight years later. He explores themes of war, destruction, and collective trauma. He organises exhibitions and works with art collections, such as the Soviet art collection in Kyiv, Ukraine, where he combines historical and contemporary works.
Information about the Biennale Matter of Art 2024
Trade Fair Palace, National Gallery Prague: Kateryna Aliinyk, Zbyněk Baladrán, björnsonova, cosa.cz, kulturní družstvo / cultural cooperative (Markéta Mráčková, Barbora Šimonová) & Viktor Vejvoda, DAVRA výzkumná skupina / research group (Madina Joldybek, Zumrad Mirzalieva, Saodat Ismailova), Martina Drozd Smutná, Giorgi Gago Gagoshidze, Asunción Molinos Gordo, Uladzimir Hramovich, Adelita Husni-Bey, Nikita Kadan, Kateřina Konvalinová & Judita Levitnerová, Kateryna Lysovenko, Pınar Öğrenci, Natalie Perkof, Marta Popivoda, Randomroutines (Tamás Kaszás & Krisztián Kristóf), Alicja Rogalska, Elske Rosenfeld, Zorka Ságlová, Antje Schiffers, Olia Sosnovskaya, Petr Štembera, Dominika Trapp, Tomáš Uhnák s / with Asia Dér / Tamás Kaszás / Asunción Molinos Gordo; solidarity intervention by stopgenocidevgaze / solidární intervence kolektivu stopgenocidevgaze
Lidice Gallery - Lidice Memorial: Kateryna Aliinyk, Michael Ayrton, Yevgenia Belorusets, Arthur Degner, Yaroslav Futymsky, Hans Grundig, Nikita Kadan, Dana Kavelina & Olha Marusyn, Georgies Kotsonis, Yuri Leiderman, Kateryna Lysovenko, M. Marizza, Ján Mudroch, Tetiana Nylivna Yablonska, Margaryta Polovynko, Anton Saienko and Ilya Todurkin
Curated by: Aleksei Borisionok, Katalin Erdődi (Trade Fair Palace, National Gallery Prague) & Nikita Kadan (Lidice Art Collection)
Dates: 14. 6 – 29. 9. 2024 → www.matterof.art/2024
Organised by: tranzit.cz in cooperation with the National Gallery Prague and Lidice Art Collection - Lidice Memorial
Partners
Main partner
With the support of
The City of Prague, Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, State Cultural Fund of the Czech Republic, European Union, NextGenerationEU, Czech-German Future Fund, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen e.v., Liszt Institute / Hungarian Cultural Centre Prague, Federal Ministry for Art, Culture, State Service and Sport Austria, Municipal District Prague 7, Berlin, Acción Cultural Española
Partners
Lunchmeat Studio, MeetFactory, Lidice Memorial, Prater Galerie Berlin, Kontakt Collection, Institute of Anxiety, Prague Art Week, Joinmusic, MPL Trading spol. s.r.o., OFF-Biennale Budapest, Foundation 17, La Escocesa, < rotor >
Media partners
A2, Deník Alarm, ART ANTIQUES, Arts of the Working Class, Artalk, ArtMap, Deník N, East Topics, FlashArt CZ/SK, Fotograf Magazine, MOST, Kapitál, Szum
Installation Photos
installation views of “Dernier Poème”
