28 November 2024 to 28 March 2025

(Re)Grounding artists: Volt Agapeyev, Alexandra Clod, Dariia Dantseva, Dasha Podoltseva, Marisa Satsia, Oleksandr (Alex) Sirous and Karolina Uskakovych

Collaborating artists: Alexey Shmurak and Matthew O’Toole

Curator: Lucy Nychai

(Re)Grounding is an urgent call to build solidarity towards environmental justice through artistic production and community exchange. 

Over the past two years, Ukrainian artists have been seeking answers to environmental challenges during residencies with D6 in Cyprus and the UK and with IZOLYATSIA in Ukraine, drawing threads between the histories shared between their homeland and communities of the mining areas of Lefke and Skouriotissa in Cyprus and the North East of England. 

Taking the artists’ research and responses to create a journey, the exhibition begins deep in the earth, moving to extraction and invasion, then to gardening and finally looking to the future.

Each artist brings a unique perspective, expressing their findings through their chosen mediums. They respond with poetry, performance, experimentation, film and photography, incorporating collaboration, science and technology. 

The projects investigate the impact of industrial activity on the environment, with a particular emphasis on the effects of war, which has left its mark on both the artists and the programme itself. Originally, the programme was set to launch in the city of Soledar, eastern Ukraine – a city now physically destroyed and occupied by Russian forces.

Not only do they confront contemporary challenges but they envision potential solutions for the future of Ukraine and a socially just green transition for us all.

(Re)Grounding is a partnership between IZOLYATSIA (Ukraine), D6:EU (Cyprus) and D6: Culture in Transit (UK). 

The programme is supported by: the UK/UA Creative Partnerships programme created by the British Council in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute; European Cultural Foundation; Arts Council England; the Paul Hamlyn Foundation; the Cyprus Department of Contemporary Culture of Deputy Ministry; the Goethe-Institut Zypern; the NewBridge Project; Vsesvit, and EKATE (Cyprus Chamber of Fine Arts). 

ARTWORKS

Welcome to the earth!

Alexandra Clod and Karolina Uskakovych – Earthing Science

The artists invite the audience to reconnect with the ground, to touch nature, and to rethink what we believe we know about our world.

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Extraction

Alexandra Clod – Katabasis, Now and Then, The Roots of My Longing

Alexandra delves into historical and mythological themes, weaving them with personal narratives. Her work explores the concept of extraction, creating connections between three different landscapes.

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Invasion

Dasha Podoltseva – Lostscape: Beach Trip

Volt Agapeyev – St. Sebastian

Alexandra Clod – The Home Wanted

These artists reflect on the impact of war, considering its effect on both humans and nature. They highlight the vitality of the environment and the transformation of the human experience.

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Gardening

Alexandra Clod – An Old Olive Tree Story

Karolina Uskakovych – Common Ground (Boots on the Ground, Hands in the Soil, Nigel’s Leek Book)

Dariia Dantseva – De miy Step? (Where Is My Steppe?)

The artists examine gardening as a form of resistance and a means of preserving traditional ecological knowledge, while also imagining a hopeful future.

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Future

Alex Sirous – We Are Points Floating Around

Dariia Dantseva and Marisa Satsia – Atomic Number 29

Dasha Podoltseva and Alexey Shmurak – The Future Is Safe (Trust the Dinosaurs!, Be Different with Your UFO, Shelter in the Room)

The future is in our hands! The artists explore themes of scientific democratisation, public engagement, and the rejection of illusions.

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Homepage images: Dariia Dantseva and Marisa Satsia, Atomic Number 29, 2024. Photo: Andriana Lagoudes | Alexandra Clod, Who has seen Persephone and The Common Ground | Karolina Uskakovych, Boots on the Ground, Hands in the Soil | Dasha Podoltseva and Alexey Shmurak, Be Different with Your UFO