ABOUT PROGRAM
In August–September 2026, the new season of the PERFORMANCE PROGRAM will take place—a two-month series of more than twenty performances, lectures, seminars, and discussions held across Kyiv and Lviv.
Launched last year, the programme now expands across two cities, creating a platform for exchange between the artistic communities of Kyiv and Lviv. The Lviv programme is co-organised by Jam Factory Art Center, while the Kyiv programme is produced by thesteinstudio in partnership with the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House.
The project was initiated by artist Olga Stein, with Valeriia Buradzhyieva serving as the programme curator.
Over the course of two months, the programme will premiere new works by Ukrainian artists, including the collectives of Hannah Vinogradova and Nastya Dzyuban, Verkhovynets Archive, and Tanz Laboratorium + t. t. t. acting group. Their projects explore a wide range of themes, from rethinking the philosophies of Walter Benjamin and Les Kurbas, to seeking alternative representations of Ukrainian folk dance, and imagining a speculative cultural institution that merges the aesthetics of burlesque, club culture, and theatrical spectacle.
As part of the partnership with Jam Factory Art Center, two days of the Kyiv programme at thesteinstudio will be dedicated to the phenomenon of Lviv performance art. The programme will feature performances by Volodymyr Kaufman, Andrii Helitovych, Mykhailo Barabash, and Anastasiia Prozora, alongside a lecture by co-curator Yaryna Shumska, presenting her research on the history of performance art in Lviv.
While last year’s edition focused exclusively on Ukrainian artists, this year’s programme expands into an international format. International participants include Rachel Tess (USA/Sweden), who will present a choreographic work and speak about her experience curating Swedish–Ukrainian performance residencies; Ivana Müller (Croatia/France), who will present her performance in a delegated format and give an online lecture on the possibilities and limitations of participation; and Florian Malzacher (Germany), who will give a presentation followed by a Q&A on curatorial practices in performance.
Beyond presenting new works, the programme fosters critical dialogue between artists, curators, researchers, and audiences through public discussions and artist talks accompanying the performances in the public programme. As part of the educational strand, programme curator Valeriia Buradzhyieva will lead introductory seminars in Performance Studies for teenagers in both Kyiv and Lviv.
The programme is intended both for cultural practitioners and researchers working with performance, and for broader audiences interested in contemporary art. Detailed information about each event will be available in its individual announcement.
EVENTS SCHEDULE
Admission to all events is free with prior registration.
August 14, 15
14:00-17:00
Ganna Vinogradova and Nastya Dzyuban
“New Ukrainian Burlesque”
strip club “69”
August 15
Opening of the program at Jam Factory Art Center
18:30 — opening speech by the team;
19:00 — artist talk with Ganna Vinogradova and Nastya Dzyuban;
20:00 — party
August 18
19:00
TanzLaboratorium + t.t.t. acting group
“The Angel of History at the Ball of Victims”
Jam Factory Art Center
August 19
18:00
Meeting with Florian Malzacher
Jam Factory Art Center
August 28
19:00
Performance by Ivan Muller
“We Still Look”
Jam Factory Art Center
Details and registration
September 2
19:00
Lecture by Ivana Muller on practices of community and participation as a method
Online
Details and registration
September 5
19:00
Conversation by Yaryna Shumska and Yulia Pivtorak about the Lviv performance
Jam Factory Art Center
Details and registration
September 18
19:00
Performative reading of the erotic novel “Cancelled Love” by Valeria Schiller and Zhenya Stepanenko
Jam Factory Art Center
Details and registration
September 22-23
Performative workshop studios for young audiences by Valeria Buradzhieva
Jam Factory Art Center
Details and registration
September 26
15:00
Performance by Rachel Tess “The Last and Stepping Stones + artist talk
Jam Factory Art Center
Details and registration