As long as the march continues, the future will exist. Collective action allows for multivocal statements about the commons. The mass-scale human chain and miners' marches in the 1990s, the Orange Revolution of 2004 and the Maidan Revolution of 2013–14, the urban initiatives March for Kyiv in 2021, as well as many other collective actions of different scales—all of these made possible the existence of the future and its shared visions. Collective actions create continuums in moments of rupture. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, alternative forms of collective spatial practices emerged. The challenges of the destruction and contingencies that come with unjustified war, along with simultaneous processes of immediate recovery, have become preconditions for the development of a new architectural discourse. This discourse develops as a part of an emergent global commons—but only as long as the march continues.
31.10–26.11
Alex Bykov is an architect exploring the legacy of Ukrainian urban planning of the second half of the 20’th century. Alex's field of interest also includes studying and researching Ukrainian sacred architecture and its transformation from old times till our days. Alex approach include publication projects. Alex Bykov is co-author of the books «Soviet Modernism, Brutalism, Postmodernism. Buildings and Structures in Ukraine 1955-1991» in collaboration with Eugenia Gubkina (Osnovy Publishing and DOM Publishers) and «Orthodox Chic» in collaboration with Oleksandr Burlaka and Sasha Kurmaz (Osnovy Publishing). He also curated and edited “5.6” magazine issue «Architecture. Community. Time» (Viktor Marushchenko School of Photography) dedicated to the topic of uncontrolled urban development in Ukraine.
Uliana Dzhurliak is an architect, PhD student in social housing (2017- now), studied architecture at Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture (2011 - 2017), was a student of Canaction`s school “Homes for tomorrow” (2019), was an architect at Balbek bureau (2015-2019), co-founder of the architectural workshop 0113 (2019-2022), social activist, researching and protecting human rights in cities, protection of cultural architectural heritage: head of NGO “Save Kvity Ukrainy” (2021-now), member of the supervisory board at association of city initiatives “March za Kyiv” (2021-now). Lives and works in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Dana (Bogdana) Kosmina is an architect and artist living and working between CDMX, Berlin and Kyiv. In 2017 entered HUDRADA (Artistic committee) curatorial and activist group. Since 2017 started her own multidisciplinary practice to change the perspectives of Ukrainian public architecture. From 2018 cooperate with the urban collective METASITU is devoted to the exploration of new spatial pedagogies. From 2019 is a co-founder and curator of a self-organized exhibition space in a formal postmodernist pavilion “Dzherelo” (The Source) in Kyiv, dedicated to urban transformations by video-art, performance & experimental music. In 2020 represented "The hotel, the sanatorium, the pension and their refugee’s rooms" in the Tbilisi Architecture Biennial “What Do We Have In Common”. At 59th Venice Biennale Kosmina represented the spacial installation “Piazza Ucrania”.
Nataliia Mysak is an architect, researcher, PhD in History and Theory of Architecture. She studied at Lviv Polytechnic University and pursued doctoral fellowships at TU Vienna, Malmö University, and a postdoctoral fellowship at ETH Zürich, which encompassed research and teaching. Since 2018, she has served as an independent expert for the Mies van der Rohe Award. Previously, she engaged in several urban initiatives, focusing on participatory planning in Lviv, and worked as a researcher at the Center for Urban History, Lviv, and as an architect at Drozdov and Partners, Kharkiv. Currently, she collaborates with the Swiss Network with Ukraine and develops the Spatial Practices Lab, focusing on alternative approaches to architectural production that could foster emerging new urban commons in the context of crisis. Based primarily in Lviv, Ukraine.
Ivan Protasov born 1993, Kyiv, Ukraine. Architect, works with public and cultural architecture projects of various scales with his firm Prototype. Resides and works in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Svitlanka Konoplyova is an artist and architect living in Ukraine. Was born in Simferopol, Crimea, where she studied as an architect, and finished her education in Kyiv, after the occupation of the peninsula. Worked in Kyiv as an urban planner and researcher, in her artistic practice she works with space, memory, myth. Since 2018 co-founder of the commercialpublicart team, whose commercial approach is known by the principle "free is the new expensive". Not part of commercialpublicart in 2023.
Borys Medvedik born in 1986 in Cisinau MD, raised, educated and built architect`s career in Odesa, UA, expanded it and recently jumped into contemporary arts field in Kyiv, UA. Official surname `Medvediev`, I'm planning to change it asap after russian invasion and military situation in UA. Co-founded of commercialpublicart collective, at the time of printed catalog, may already leave the collective, giving it more space for fresh blood. Topics: medium-message, actor-network, blurred mirages, endless mutations, inhuman affairs, complexities of waste, biome ecologies, edges of critique, self-care, future. Mediums: all forms of architectural speculations, including social architecture, participation, 3d models, ready-mades, upcycling, graffiti, graphic novels, presentations, SMM, DIY exhibitions, sculpture, toys, public art, classic techniques and transitions between the listed.