The Assembly is the public programme of the exhibition THIS IS FINE)) dedicated to the conditions in which independent and self-organized art initiatives exist in Ukraine. While the exhibition traces the emergence, transformation, and fragility of such initiatives from 2014 to the present, the Assembly shifts the conversation toward possible tools for protection, support, and collective action.
At the heart of the programme are questions of space, labour, legal recognition, and interaction with the city and the state. Independent art initiatives often operate from temporary, unsuitable, or commercially rented premises, work under conditions of limited resources, and yet fulfil important cultural, social, and infrastructural roles. They are often more responsive than large institutions, create horizontal communities, support artistic ecosystems, and open up new themes and practices. At the same time, they remain largely unprotected within municipal and state cultural policies.
The Assembly programme will run throughout the duration of the exhibition. Artists, curators, representatives of self-organized spaces, municipal institutions, legal experts, and international guests will discuss how independent art initiatives can be recognized as part of cultural infrastructure; what mechanisms of subsidized rent, legal protection, and municipal support are possible; how to talk about artistic labour, fees, and burnout; and how self-organized initiatives can act collectively by articulating their own needs and demands.
On 13 and 14 June, the Assembly will focus on defining the role of self-organized initiatives within the field of contemporary Ukrainian art and addressing questions of place — the loss of spaces, rental conditions, and the visibility of independent initiatives within legal frameworks and municipal and state policies.
More information about each event can be found below.
Participation is free with prior registration.
Programme
13 June 2026 | Auditorium Hall
14:00 — Opening Speech
14:10 — THIS IS FINE)) Open Microphone
A self-organized stand-up session by the curatorial team and exhibition participants.
15:00 — (Not) Real Work 2.0. A Session for Mapping the Collective Pain of Self-Organization
Moderated by: Variable Name
In 2021, the collective Variable Name published the zine (Not) Real Work, dedicated to the precarity of the independent art scene and cultural labour in Ukraine. The materials for the zine were collected through an open call in order to document different experiences and better understand how visible and recognized these issues were within the artistic community.
Five years later, (Not) Real Work 2.0 returns as an attempt to assess what has changed: which problems have intensified, which remain unresolved, and which may have taken on new forms. During this collective mapping session, we invite people working in culture, as well as those interested in these issues, to identify both new and longstanding challenges of self-organization and to create a map that will form the basis for a future issue of the (Not) Real Work zine.
18:00 — Opening of the exhibition THIS IS FINE))
19:00 — VSE NORMALNO)) Afterparty
( Галерея “Товари з Європи”, 173 Mekhanichna Street)
14 June 2026 | Novo 1 Hall
13:00 — Whose Problem Is Independent Culture? The Nahirna 22 Case
Nahirna 22 is one of the largest self-organized communities of artists in Ukraine. It emerged in 2018 within the former workshops of Kyiv’s Institute of Automation. Over time, more than 200 artists worked in the space; the community later established an NGO, managed the building, organized Open Studio Days, and created opportunities for direct encounters between artists and audiences.
In May of this year, Nahirna 22 faced the threat of eviction. Neither public attention, social support, NGO status, nor the evident cultural value of the community was enough to protect it. This case raises a broader question: whose responsibility is independent culture when it loses its place to work?
The discussion will examine what rights artists have under Ukrainian legislation, how the state defines who qualifies as an artist, and whether members of professional unions enjoy different rights from independent cultural workers.
15:30 — The Place of Independent Culture in the City — Discussion
Moderated by: Yaryna Korotkevych
What role does independent culture play in Lviv’s development strategy? How does the city perceive self-organized artistic initiatives? What forms of cooperation already exist? Can cultural spaces apply for municipal premises or subsidized rent? How does Lviv address the issue of artists’ studios?
These pressing questions will be explored in a conversation between Kateryna Drozd, curator of the research project Mapped Routes; Bohdan Shumylovych, curator at the Institute for Cultural Strategy; and Natalia Riasna, Head of the Municipal Property Department of the Lviv City Council.
17:00 — Opening of the Cardboard Gallery
Cardboard Gallery is a project based on the history of the Kyiv apartment gallery Kruchi. At its centre is a meticulously recreated cardboard model of Kruchi’s first space on Naberezhno-Khreshchatytska Street. Inside are miniature artworks by artists who participated in the gallery’s activities, alongside numerous interior details familiar to visitors: furniture, windows overlooking the Dnipro River, everyday objects, and traces of daily life.
The Cardboard Gallery was created collaboratively by artists and members of the Kruchi community. The work reflects on the experience of self-organized art spaces, their fragility and temporality, and their capacity to continue existing through people, relationships, and memories even after losing their physical walls.
During the opening, project curator Alia Siehal will speak about the history of Kruchi and lead a guided tour through the exhibition inside the model, offering visitors a closer look at the miniature space and sharing stories about individual artworks, artists, and events that took place in the gallery.
Project participants and co-authors of the model: Inha Levi, Maryna Marynychenko, Mariia Matiashova, Daria Molokoiedova, Olia Yeremieieva, Karina Synytsia, Anna Taradina, Tamara Turliun, Dasha Chechushkova, Maryna Shchehelska, and Kseniia Shcherbakova.
18:00 — Curatorial Tour of the exhibition THIS IS FINE)) led by Nastia Khlestova, Anastasiia Sherhina, and Ihor Tymoshchuk.