Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Yana Bachynska / Jan Bačynsjkyj left his homeland, transitioning to a nomadic lifestyle. The above move has influenced the development of his artistic practice. He currently focuses on installations, sculpture and objects created from his own clothes. Bačynsjkyj transforms fabric into a form of memory carrier, thus examining the history of his family and homeland.
The artist proposes to start with recognizing the resourcefulness of grandmas. Trying to deal with shortage of desired clothes in the times of the USSR they turned to sewing. The story of Yana Bachynska / Jan Bačynsjkyj contains both elements of modern history of everyday life and folk symbolism, still present in Ukrainian culture. During traumatic war events, clothes have become the only element providing a sense of safety. Drawing on stories of travel and displacement, the artist examines the importance of clothing as the last trace of protection against loss of home. The works of Yana Bachynska / Jan Bačynsjkyj represent protest art. Offering an alternative to the existing order, they simultaneously reflect the comedy of existence against the background of devastating events. The artist consistently refuses to succumb to tragic narratives. He strives to create alternative practices that would ensure combat readiness in the face of change.
The exhibition takes us to the story of a war refugee, a queer artist longing for his homeland and dreaming of a better world. The world of queer utopia is a space for reflection on the condition of modern man, his memory and identity. Fabric remnants mix with words and become an icon themselves. The voices of other people with a similar experience resonate through the medium of text.
The newly created works enter into a subtle dialogue with the viewer, exploring the difficult topic of emigration and trauma related to an armed conflict. The sculptures reflect the changing world and become a testimony of resistance. The works represent protest art. They propose to change the existing order, at the same time reflecting the comedy of existence in the face of tragedy. The artist refuses to focus on the tragic in his practice, because it leads to a loss of combat readiness. As he argues, the most effective option for political art is to create an alternative to the existing order, a new theory for a new practice.
Yana Bachynska / Jan Bačynsjkyj (born 1991 in Lviv) is multimedia artist, film director and sculptor working in the field of engaged art. He graduated in philosophy from the National University of Taras Shevchenko in Kiev (2013) and multimedia at the Academy of Art in Szczecin (2019). He is the co-founder of Art Platform (2013) through which we was actively involved in inhibiting the processes of gentrification through creating a non-governmental cultural center. In his practice, he focuses on the topics of queer narrative, gender identity and historical memory. He has participated in numerous artistic residencies and international exhibitions, including: Cité Internationale des Arts Paris (2022) or Coming out of Isolation 2.0 in Ukraine (2020).