{"id":14384,"date":"2026-03-09T17:10:36","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T08:10:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artfront.co.jp\/en\/?post_type=news_blog&p=14384"},"modified":"2026-03-09T17:31:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T08:31:29","slug":"nikita-kadan-on-looking-into-the-gaps-iii%ef%bc%8d-group-exhibition-of-ukrainian-contemporary-artists","status":"publish","type":"news_blog","link":"https:\/\/artfront.co.jp\/en\/news_blog\/nikita-kadan-on-looking-into-the-gaps-iii%ef%bc%8d-group-exhibition-of-ukrainian-contemporary-artists\/","title":{"rendered":"Nikita Kadan on \u201cLooking into the Gaps III\u201d\uff0d Group Exhibition of Ukrainian Contemporary Artists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Exhibition view of \u201cLooking into the Gaps \u2162\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Art Front Gallery is currently presenting \u201cLooking into the Gaps III\u201d a group exhibition of Ukrainian artists (February 6\u2013March 19, 2026).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curated by the Ukrainian artist Nikita Kadan, who is also active as a curator and is recognized as one of the leading figures in contemporary Ukrainian art, \u2014the exhibition introduces works by Ukrainian artists who are unable to leave the country due to restrictions on travel abroad.
While presenting the \u201cnow\u201d of contemporary Ukrainian art\u2014 created amid harsh realities, the exhibition also seeks to offer a space that conveys hope for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To mark the opening of the exhibition, a talk event and a screening of a video work were held on February 6, 2026.
Below is a report from the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contemporary Ukrainian Art Today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First, a lecture on the current state of Ukrainian art was given by Wakana Kono, Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies, School of Education at Waseda University. She introduced Nikita Kadan and the artists participating in the exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis exhibition includes works created by artists who are currently serving in the military and produced their pieces during brief moments between their duties at the front. Despite these circumstances, they are trying to remain artists as much as possible. The exhibition is therefore dedicated to art made under such impossible conditions, and it speaks not only to Ukraine but also to the universality of art.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Screening of Dana Kavelina\u2019s Grey Earth<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Next, a screening of the video work Grey Earth<\/em> by Dana Kavelina was presented. The version shown was still in progress, and the work depicts the realities of war through animation. It consists of two scenes: one in which a wounded soldier searches for his comrades, and another in which cows, released after a drone attack, wander through a devastated landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the screening, Kadan offered an introduction:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHumans are not the only ones experiencing this war. Animals, plants, and even the land itself are undergoing their own experiences. I think this work allows us to consider what they might be feeling. Without even understanding why the war began, they are nevertheless profoundly affected by it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • \"\"
    Dana Kavelina \"Grey Earth\"<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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    Dana Kavelina \"Grey Earth\"<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Talk by Nikita Kadan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    After the screening, a talk by Nikita Kadan was held. An excerpt from his remarks is presented below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cI am an active artist, but in Ukraine, the institutional infrastructure for curatorial practice had not been sufficiently developed even before the war. As a result, artists have continued their activities by involving one another and working collaboratively. Of course, more people have been evacuating abroad, but those who remain in the country are continuing their activities in a very active way. I joined the artist group R.E.P. (Revolutionary Experimental Space) in 2014, and from there I began to gain experience in curatorial practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    What the Title \u201cGaps\u201d Signifies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cThe word \u2018Gaps,\u2019 which appears in the title of this exhibition, refers to the fact that the history of Ukraine has not continued in a single, uninterrupted line from beginning to end. Rather, it has been repeatedly broken and interrupted. It also reflects how, under these circumstances, our own lives have been partially suspended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This third edition of Looking into the Gaps<\/em> presents works by artists who continue to create under extremely difficult, almost impossible conditions. Some of them have been conscripted and mobilized into the military while continuing to make their work. These are works by artists who are practicing under cruel conditions, with limited time and materials, and very close to their limits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Perspectives of Women Artists<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cMen, unless they are active in fields such as art, technology, or sports, are generally restricted from leaving the country, and even those procedures have become increasingly difficult. I sometimes think that I might be one of the last people able to pass through those restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This exhibition includes works by two women artists: Dana Kavelina, the creator of the video work shown earlier, and Marta Syrko. What their works share is a realistic portrayal of soldiers fighting on the front line and those who have been wounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Artists who have been conscripted rarely depict the reality of war in this way. Perhaps a certain distance from the war is necessary in order to look at things structurally and without compromise. In that sense, I believe the works of these two women artists are extremely valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    • \"\"
      Dana Kavelina \"Letter to a Turtledove\" 2020<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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      Marta Syrko \"Egor\"<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Works Emerging from War<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cIn this exhibition, I wanted to present the voices of other artists, so none of my own works are included. However, I would like to speak about my own practice briefly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      For example, in my sculptural works, I use fragments from actual buildings destroyed in the war. I have been continuing this practice since 2014. What is different from the previous wave of attacks is that, whereas before I had to travel to the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine to collect fragments to use as materials for my work, now I can find them right next to my own home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Nikita Kadan, Hostomel and Cologne Sculpture, 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cRussian forces claim that this attack is being carried out to protect the shared history and culture of Ukraine and Russia. Yet, ironically, even statues of Soviet soldiers who fought in the Second World War\u2014once symbols of that very history\u2014have been destroyed. Are these ruined monuments still fulfilling their original purpose, or have they instead become evidence of the current war?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      An Exhibition that Began with a Suitcase<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cThis exhibition began as a small traveling show. It first toured Poland and Germany, and was later presented on Teshima Island. The presentation there was organized unofficially, separate from the Setouchi Triennale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      By my own decision, I packed works by various artists into a suitcase, brought them to Japan, and exhibited them within the landscape of Teshima. Only three people saw that exhibition. However, its purpose was to show the works to nature and the landscape before showing them to people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      At that time, Fram suggested that we should present this kind of exhibition in a gallery next time so that more people could see it. Although it began as a traveling exhibition carried in a suitcase, the amount of work involved is something that would normally be easy to carry across borders. At the same time, it also reflects how things that should ordinarily be simple to do have become impossible in Ukraine today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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