They are guests at AtelierWG on the ‘WG terrein’ as Artist in Residence: photographer Hanna Hrabarska, visual artist Anna Kakhiani and illustrator Polina Doroshenko. Chris Keulemans (author of Gastvrijheid, hospitality) talks with them about freedom, home, wartime and their work as artists- in-exile.
Since 1984, over 100 artists have studios in two of the old hospital pavilions of the former Wilhelmina Gasthuis, an initiative by the Foundation atelierWG. One of the studios is for use by guest Artists in Residence (airWG). Since last year, this unique space has been made available as a ‘home’ and workspace for Ukrainian artists who have fled the war in their country.
Hanna Hrabarska
Hanna Hrabarska (1986) is a Ukrainian photographer, documentary artist, journalist and photography teacher. Before the war, she had a studio in central Kyiv. Since Hanna left Ukraine with her mother, she has documented her own journey as a ‘war refugee’ (published in NRC Handelsblad, among others).
Anna Kakhiani
Anna Kakhiani (1991) from Kyiv is a Ukrainian visual artist and curator, working with a range of media, including video, film, text, installations, as well as performance and land art. Shortly after the beginning of the war, she travelled from Kyiv via western Ukraine to the Netherlands. She first found shelter in a refugee centre in the old town hall of Piershil, Hoekse Waard, and subsequently made Amsterdam her temporary home. The first three months of this year she was artist in residence at airWG.
Polina Doroshenko
Polina Doroshenko (1989) lived in Kyiv prior to the war, working as an illustrator, artist, book designer and graphic arts teacher. In March 2022, Polina and her four-year-old daughter Stefaniia had to flee their home and made their way to Barcelona, where they found temporary shelter with friends. After she left Ukraine she began a sketchbooks with drawings. She sees this graphic diary as a direct method to visualise her thoughts, ideas and anxieties. This month she and her daughter moved to Amsterdam to take up her airWG residency.
Chris Keulemans
Chris Keulemans (1960) is a travelling writer, journalist and moderator. He is author of numerous books, both fiction and non-fiction, and has published articles on art, engagement, migration, music, cinema and war. His most recent book is Gastvrijheid (‘Hospitality’. Jurgen Maas Publishers, 2021) a mix of travel stories, memories, observations and imaginations about the art of hospitality.
Programme will be in English.
Image credit: The last photo taken by Hanna Hrabarska in her native Ukraine, during the drive to the border. Photo: Hanna Hrabarska, 2022.