“Tryvoha” can mean both “anxiety” and the sound of air raid sirens that have become a constant and inescapable part of life in Ukraine. Originally conceived in 2022, Tryvoha was planned to reopen only after the end of the Russian-Ukrainian war. However, as the war continues, the exhibition curated by Nikita Kadan will once again take place at the Voloshyn Gallery in Kyiv in March.
Tryvoha was probably the first exhibition opened in the Ukrainian capital following the full-scale Russian invasion. Less than a week after heavy missiles hit the country, Nikita Kadan, a renowned Ukrainian artist, found temporary refuge in the Voloshyn Gallery’s basement as the space was converted into a bomb shelter. Kadan recalls that during these first uncertain weeks, the gallery also became his personal refuge as he transformed its storage into a makeshift exhibition. Using available works, starting with an intuitive rearranging of works in the room, he developed a show to create a dialogue between eras and artistic generations. An intimate painting by the 1990s New Wave artist Oleh Holosiy right next to the semi-forgotten 1970s works of Konstantin-Vadim Ignatov, along the contemporary artists such as Lesia Khomenko, Vlada Ralko, and Oleksii Sai. Result? An unexpected dialogue between the works in unexpected conditions. With the city largely empty and under strict military surveillance and those that stayed remaining vigilant at all times, only a few brave individuals, including Yevgenia Belorusets, attended the exhibition.
Kadan recalls that during these first uncertain weeks, the gallery also became his personal refuge as he transformed its storage into a makeshift exhibition.
While the exhibition title served as a poignant response to the immediate shock of war, today has sadly become the everyday. Three years after the impromptu show, Voloshyn Gallery is revisiting Tryvoha, expanding on its themes with a broader selection of historical and contemporary works that reflect Ukraine’s resilience and cultural identity in times of war. Revisiting the previous idea, the second chapter includes works by Davyd Burliuk, a key figure of the early and mid-20th-century Ukrainian avant-garde, Kostiantyn-Vadym Ihnatov, a Kyiv nonconformist artist from the 1970s, and Oleh Holosiy, a leading figure in Ukrainian postmodernist painting of the 1980-90s. Alongside the works previously explored by Katan, Tryvoha presents contemporary pieces by Vlada Ralko, Lesia Khomenko, Mykola Ridnyi, Oleksiy Sai, and Nikita Kadan himself. The show will also feature works from A Wartime Diary series by Yevgenia Belorusets.
The gallery founders, Max and Julia Voloshyn, stress how the artists today continue creating physical evidence of colonial injustices – personal documentation of history and raw human emotions. Featuring works in various media, from photography and mixed-media pieces to dual-sided canvases, Tryvoha reflects on the urgent realities of war and its lasting repercussions on Ukrainian society, while being open to discussions of its impact on the country’s cultural landscape and how it continues to evolve.
The artists today continue creating physical evidence of colonial injustices – personal documentation of history and raw human emotions.
Tryvoha [Anxiety]
March 7 – April 27, 2025
Curated by Nikita Kadan
Artists: Vlada Ralko, Lesia Khomenko, Mykola Ridnyi, Oleksiy Sai, Nikita Kadan, Yevgenia Belorusets.
