Series "My temporary windows"
Stolen Past, Threatened Future
Exhibit Eschenbachgasse. Vienna, Austria, 2025
Curator: Matilda Cherednichenko
Partners: Veronika Dirnhofer / solidarity matters, the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, the BMKOES, tranzit.at, the ERSTE Foundation as well as the Ukraine Office Austria and the OeAD Cooperation Office Lviv
Photo: Valerie Maltseva
Stolen Past, Threatened Future explores personal and collective dimensions of war, the struggle and forced emigration, capturing both realities of living under constant threat and relocation to a new country. The title refers to a feeling which is known to every Ukrainian: that one’s previous life has been stolen – out of the sudden, in the middle of the night.
The exhibition revolves around displacement, instability, memory, and temporality. How the “temporary” state of exile becomes reality. Art has become not only a form of resistance, but also a place of refuge and a tool for survival.
Through diverse artistic media, including painting, sculpture, photography and video works the show emphasizes a shared resilience and identity, transcending physical borders. Instead of focusing on differences, the exhibition highlights unity, presenting Ukrainian artists as one voice, no matter where they are.
This exhibition is a call for empathy and a collective effort, reminding viewers of the critical need to act now, otherwise our common future is threatened.
