Co-organised by with Darya Tsymbalyuk, Victoria Donovan and Kate Cowcher. Places We Love: Art and the Ukrainian East (2022) featured the work of four contemporary Ukrainian artists: Viktor ‘Corwic’ Zasypkin, Masha Pronina, Oleksandr Kuchynskyi and Darya Tsymbalyuk. Ranging from photography to montage to painting, these works provide insights into industrial heritage, pre-war cityscapes, the violence of military incursions, and the multiple lives and loves of the Donbas region. Donbas (Donetsk Coal Basin) is an industrial region in the east of Ukraine, which since 2014 has been partially occupied by Russia, and where war has been ongoing for eight years.
Inspired by the communities and collections of Glasgow Women’s Library, Life Support: Forms of Care in Art and Activism (2021) considered how artists and activists have addressed and challenged experiences of care, health, education, housing and home life. With artworks, archival materials and installations displayed throughout the building and beyond, the exhibition and research project focused on feminist, LGBTQ+ and anti-racist responses to existing systems. Featuring activist perspectives alongside works by artists, Life Support also explores how archives can play a vital role as a form of care work for radical struggle. Realised during the Covid-19 pandemic, the exhibition highlighted the urgent need for mutual care and support across the infrastructures and relationships that shape our everyday lives.
