The modern art of Odesa developed when great changes took place all over the world. These changes occurred after the Cold War ending, the Soviet Union collapse, and the new states formation. These events changed both politics and culture. In the 1970s, there were two groups of artists in Odesa: official and unofficial (the underground). The first ones worked for the state and implemented its orders, while the second searched for the new unexploded ways to express their thoughts through art. By the early 1980s, however, the “official” style — socialist realism — was not so popular anymore, and the difference between the two groups’ work almost disappeared.

At that time, a new trend has appeared — conceptualism. It concentrated not on the form of a picture or sculpture, but on the idea it performed. Artists used absurdity (something illogical), irony (the expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite) and paradoxes (contradictory ideas) to make people question the common things and rules. In 1982, artists Leonid Voitsekhov and Serhii Anufriev created a group called “Odesa Conceptual Group”. Then other artists joined the group, such as Yuri Leiderman, Svitlana Martynchyk, Igor Stepin, Larisa Rezun-Zvezdochetova, Lyudmila Skrypkina, Oleg Petrenko, Igor Chatskin and others.

The artists of this group worked unofficially (so-called underground), that is, they did not perform their works at official exhibitions, but created them for themselves and their friends. The result of the artists’ cooperative creativity was a turn to a new artistic direction called actionism. Actionism means an artist does not create the stable objects (drawing or sculptures) but expresses the ideas through live displays – special actions and performances. Volodymyr Naumets held the first actions in Odesa, and Serhii Anufriev helped him as an assistant. It was a special way to express the thoughts and feelings, involving the audience into the art process. Later, an artist Leonid Voitsekhov became the main organizer of various actions, such as “Relatives”, “Exploration of artistic lodes” and “In two counts”. The actions became a symbol of Odesa new art and the beginning of contemporary art in Ukraine. Due to this, the artists were able to make something new and unusual, and their works became more vivid and emotional. Actionism helped art to break out the traditional frames and show the world that it can be diverse and unexpected.

At the same time, another trend was developing – trans-avant-garde. One of its main representatives was Oleksandr Roitburd, who implanted this idea to Odesa. Soon he found like-minded people, such as Serhii Lykov, Olena Nekrasova and Vasyl Ryabchenko. Their works represented an interesting combination of classic artistic traditions and new ideas. They started exhibiting their paintings in official exhibition halls, and their works attracted attention of wide audience.

In the nineties, the first private museum of modern art named TIRS was opened in Odesa. It was created by two young businessmen. This museum collected many works of Odesa artists and became important for the development of contemporary art in the city.

Over time, painting became less popular. Artists became interested in dealing with new forms of art that met challenges of the globalized world. Curator projects began to play an important role, where artists combined world problems with local themes. The “New Art” Association was created, which curated such projects. These projects received support of international organizations such as the Soros Foundation, which helped to organize large-scale exhibitions that displayed the new forms of art: installations, video art and performance.

In Odesa, exhibitions started to be held in unusual places, such as ruined cinema halls, empty museums and basements. This provided a special atmosphere to the experiments. Among the artists who actively worked at that time were Igor Gusev, the group “General Condition” and the duo of Myroslav Kulchytsky and Vadym Chekorsky.

Video art became one of the most popular directions of Odesa contemporary art. Artists Uta Kilter and Viktor Malyarenko were among the first to work in this style. They created videos that combined elements of author’s cinematography and documentation of artistic actions.
At the beginning of the 2000s, the art of Odesa experienced a slight decline, but already at the end of the first decade, its revival has begun. In 2008, the Museum of Odesa Modern Art opened, which greatly influenced on the development of the artistic space of the city. New independent galleries appeared, such as “Norma”, “Nich” (Night), “Khudpromo” (ArtPromo) and others, which became important places for the exhibitions. Among the bright representatives of this time, we can name the works of Stepan Ryabchenko, Mykola Karabinovych, Dmytro Ehrlich, a creative duo of Françoise Oz and Bohdan Perevertun, street art of APL315, graphic art of Serhii Kononov, photographs of Maxim Finogeev, and experimental videos of Antigona.

Modern art of Odesa has become multi-layered, covering various topics, such as transformations of Ukrainian culture and the post-Soviet space. One of the key artistic events was the Odesa Biennale of Contemporary Art, organized by the Museum of Modern Art. The artists worked with the themes of memory, identity, traumatic experience and the future. Odesa artists addressed to the themes of urban environment, ecology, and political upheavals. They used various means of expression: painting, digital technologies, installations.

During the war in Ukraine, Odesa artists began to create works that reflect tragedy and pain, destruction, memory, embodying the tragedy of war. The art became a way to show the world strength and indomitable spirit of the Ukrainian people, creating strong and emotional works even in the conditions of war. Odesa museums, such as the Museum of Odesa Modern Art and the Odesa National Art Museum, organize exhibitions and support the spirit of resistance. Among the active artists, it is worth to name works of Dasha Cheshushkova, objects of Vasya Dmytryk, painting of Sana Shakhmuradova and Kateryna Lisovenko. The contemporary art of Odesa has become an important tool of cultural diplomacy and demonstrates to the world the strength of Ukraine in this difficult time.

Modern art was born during difficult times, when the world was changing, and artists were looking for new ways to express their thoughts. At first, they worked almost secretly, but over time they became famous and were performed at the large exhibitions. They combined the past and the present, which helped people think about important things. Today, the art of Odesa has become very diverse. Artists use different ways to talk about the city, nature, war and the future. They create not only paintings, but also videos, installations and other forms of art. In times of war, art helps people understand the contemporary world and supports those fighting for their country.

It is important to remember that art is not just beautiful pictures. It can help us understand better the world around us, express our feelings and even change our lives for the better.

Lyubov Zaeva
PhD