The Ukraine Darkroom

Press Release 11 May 2022 – Thessaloniki Municipal Art Gallery

Press Release – 3 May 2022

Peace Letters to Ukraine
Audio-visual art project – during the Russian-Ukrainian War

@ The 7 Memorials for Humanity

Starting on 1 March 2022,
The New Museum of Networked Art
is realising during The Russian War against Ukraine (open end) in the framework of The 7 Memorials for Humanity in an exchange between virtual and physical space the audio-visual art project – Peace Letters to Ukraine – as an internationally networked action between participating artists, curators and cultural institutions in solidarity with Ukraine. Initiated by the Cologne based media artist and curator Agricola de Cologne and co-curated by Yarina Butkovska (Lviv/Ukraine) – The Peace Letters Project – would not only like to honour the collaboration with Ukrainian artists, curators and cultural institutions since 2008, but contribute to Peace and defend the endangered freedom – freedom of the word, expression and movement as the fundament of free art and culture.

Turmoil & Error

The World is in turmoil, the human civilisation is in turmoil, culture is in turmoil, the artists are in turmoil – violence and war in Ukraine and elsewhere, the war of the political systems and ideologies, genocide, racism, intolerance, climate change, pandemic, expulsion, refugees, globalization – and all simultaneously! The global crisis!

And what function might art have in all that mess? What message may transport these Peace Letters?

In any case much more than just promising support and solidarity, rather summoning the positive creativity when we, that’s the world community, are staying together brainstorming, acting in respect and responsibility for each other. Art as a tool for sensitizing and encouragement and – Peace. The selected artists – coming from different continents and cultural backgrounds – show and offer their positive creativity via their audio-visual creations.

The Peace Letters to Ukraine Project is initiated by the Cologne based media artist and chief-curator Wilfried Agricola de Cologne for The New Museum of Networked Art as a networked artistic action in reaction on the war against the Ukraine in solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

The Peace Letters Project is realised between the networked participating artists, curators and cultural institutions in an exchange between virtual and physical space, a physical venue is always simultaneously connected with the virtual space of Alphabet Art Centre, operating from Cologne. The Peace Letters are sent from Cologne to a physical venue which is sending the Peace Letters to Ukraine by screening the (for each venue individually prepared) programs.

More than 250 international video/media artists in solidarity

By honouring previous collaborations with Ukrainian artists, curators and cultural institutions since 2008, Peace Letters 1 are exclusively dedicated to the more than 25 featured Ukrainian artists working with moving images, while Peace Letters 2 include more than 70 international artists’ videos in solidarity with Ukraine based on an ongoing call as long as the Russian War against Ukraine is lasting.
Peace Letters 3 is featuring the historical screening programs as they were presented in Kiev and Kharkiv 2018, while Peace Letters 4 is featuring another historical screening programs presented in Kiev and Kharkiv in 2011 and Lviv 2008.
Peace Letters 5 is featuring the screening programs 12 curators were preparing 2017and 2018 for The W:OW Project – We Are One World – international curators for Peace and Freedom!
Peace Letters 6-9 are dedicated to the first three venues in Rockville (MA(USA), Los Angeles (CA/USA) and Thessaloniki (Greece) and the videos (Peace Letters) they are presenting/sending. More venues and more Peace Letters to come.

In May/July 2022 – three physical venues are scheduled

Peace Letters 8 @
VisArts Center Rockville (MD/USA) – 07-08 May 2022

Peace Letters 7 @
Torrance Art Museum Los Angeles (CA/USA) – 04-25 June 2022

Peace Letters 9 @
Rhizome DC Washington (DC/USA) – 07 July 2022

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Peace Letters to Ukraine
http://alphabet.nmartproject.net/the-ukraine-darkroom/

The New Museum of Networked Art
http://nmartproject.net

Alphabet Art Centre
http://alphabet.nmartproject.net

The 7 Memorials for Humanity
http://7mfh.a-virtual-memorial.org

In Solidarity – for Peace, Freedom and Humanity!

Wilfried Agricola de Cologne
Chief-curator of Peace Letters to Ukraine Project
artvideokoeln (at) gmail.com

Press Release 5 May 2022

Peace Letter Catalogue May 2022

Peace Letters from Cologne to Ukraine Logo

Peace Letters from Rockville to Ukraine Logo

Peace Letters from Thessaloniki to Ukraine Logo

Peace Letters from Los Angeles to Ukraine Logo

Press Release 11 May 2022 – Thessaloniki Municipal Art Gallery

PDF Catalogues

Peace Letters 8 Rockville Catalogue 2022

Peace Letters 6 Thessaloniki Catalogue 2022

Peace Letters 7 Los Angeles Catalogue 2022

The “Peace Letters to Ukraine Project” @ The Ukraine Darkroom
is a collaboration / networked action between

THe New Museum od Networked Art,
Wilfried Agricola de Cologne (Cologne/Germany) as chief curator, Yarina Butkovska (Lviv/Ukraine) as co-curator, the associated curators – Antonio Alvarado (Spain) – Georgi Krastev (Bulgaria) – Rainer Krause (Chile) – Paulo B. Menezes (Portugal) – Gioula Papadopulou (Greece) – Simo Saarikoski (Finland) – Erick Tapia (Mexico) – Maurizio Marco Tozzi (Italy) – Tahir Un (Turkey), the curated/selected/participating artists, and – the networked/collaborating/participating cultural institutions

in an exchange between virtual & physical space
@ Alphabet Art Centre and the networked physical venues.

All texts, images and videos © by the artists/authors/curators or owners.

The Online/Offline Project – “Peace Letters to Ukraine Project”, its concept, design, work out & realisation © 2022 by Agricola de Cologne/The New Museum of Networked Art.