Daria Koltsova: The road to poetry in wartime

Past exhibition

25.10.202325.11.2023

Daria Koltsova: The road to poetry in wartime

Daria Koltsova is one of the outstanding figures of the contemporary Ukrainian scene. In these challenging times for her people, subject to the horrors of war, her artistic activity focuses on the effects of war and questions the possibilities of protection and resilience.

It gives us great pleasure to invite you to the exhibition “The road to poetry in wartime” presenting works by the artist Daria Koltsova, curated by the invited curator Ami Barak, on October 25, starting at 18:00, at the ISHO D Space adjacent to the Art Encounters Foundation.

Daria Koltsova is one of the outstanding figures of the contemporary Ukrainian scene. In these challenging times for her people, subject to the horrors of war, her artistic activity focuses on the effects of war and questions the possibilities of protection and resilience. Her approach combines the political and the intimate both plastically and conceptually. Her works make current geopolitical and social situations sensible and tangible, combining intimate perceptions of them with their repercussions on everyone. Moving away from an attempt at realistic representation, she gives shape to images that come from the realities of war, often due to historical or iconographic research. The artist also relies on people’s experience and their stories. Daria understood that the war changed everything and that art must make these changes visible.

The exhibition is organized by Art Encounters at the ISHO D Space and can be visited between October 25 and November 25, from Tuesday to Saturday, between 12:00 – 18:00. Access to the exhibition is free.

📍October 25, 18:00: Opening in the presence of the artist and the Art Encounters team, Space ISHO D, adjacent to the Art Encounters Foundation, Timișoara;
📍 October 26, 18:00: Special event “Artist talk,” in the presence of the artist, accompanied by Tilla Rudel and Ami Barak, The French Institute in Timișoara, Blvd. Constantin Diaconovici Loga 46, Timișoara.

Daria Koltsova is one of the remarkable figures of the contemporary Ukrainian scene in these difficult times for her people, subjected to the atrocities of war. Born in 1987 in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and a graduate of the Academy of Design and Art in the same city, majoring in art history and theory, she initially settled in Kyiv. With the outbreak of war, she took refuge first in Berlin and then in Oxford, Great Britain. The artist frequently returns to Odessa, her native country, to work there. Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the war in Donbas, her artistic work, including installations, performances, and videos, focuses on the effects of war and examines the possibilities of protection and resilience. Her approach combines the political and the intimate both plastically and conceptually.

The “The road to poetry in wartime” exhibition is organized by the Art Encounters Foundation and is co-financed by the Municipality of Timișoara through the Center for Projects and AFCN, having as partners ISHO, Suprainfinit Gallery, and the French Institute in Romania in Timișoara.

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Daria Koltsova

Daria Koltsova este una din figurile marcante ale scenei ucrainene contemporane. În aceste vremuri dificile pentru poporul său, supus dezastrelor războiului, activitatea sa artistică se concentrează asupra efectelor războiului și pune sub semnul întrebării posibilitățile protecției și rezilienței. Abordarea sa combină politicul și intimul atât din punct de vedere plastic, cât și conceptual. Lucrările sale reușesc să facă sensibile și tangibile situațiile geopolitice și sociale actuale, combinând percepțiile intime ale acestora cu repercusiunile lor asupra tuturor. Îndepărtându-se de o încercare de reprezentare realistă, ea dă formă unor imagini care provin din realitățile războiului, adesea ca rezultat al unei cercetări istorice sau iconografice. De asemenea, artista se bazează pe experiența oamenilor și pe poveștile lor. Artista a înțeles că războiul a schimbat totul și că arta trebuie să facă vizibile aceste schimbări.