Chitin

Curator:Yeva Sihacheva

Production and coordination: Edith-Russ-Haus

Chitin is the main component of the exoskeletons of arthropods. It performs protective and supporting functions, ensuring the rigidity of cells. A chitinous cover became a forced necessity for Ukrainians, formed after the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of the country and acting as a protective mechanism to support existence inside this new reality.

This exhibition explores how people talk about the war within the limits of war, how people live in the context of tragedy, and how this tragedy is reinterpreted and integrated into daily human life. The language of war is incomprehensible; it is complex in its simplicity. Many artists are still incapable of talking about the war, and so each person instead performs it in their own way—everyone creates their own chitinous cover. The exhibited works also deal with the pain of losing one’s home, the difficulties of adapting to a new culture, the guilt of running away—an experience that is difficult to comprehend, and equally hard to rationalize and retell. The Ukraine Grant of the Edith-Russ-Haus was carried out in collaboration with Artists at Risks. The exhibition space was arranged by RAZ - Raum auf Zeit.