FAQ

No. Contemporary Kyiv is not a fair. It is an initiative of the Contemporary Kyiv Foundation centered on Poyavy. Although it is not a marketplace, artworks included in our programs may be acquired if they are offered for sale.

No, but the Poyavy that we support and curate may include exhibitions and shows.

No. Festivals may well become part of the broader Contemporary Kyiv initiative in the future. We’re just not in the mood for a fest at the moment.

Contemporary Kyiv is an initiative for contemporary art in Ukraine that is not tied to a single, fixed format — festival, fair, exhibition, show, or any other predetermined category. We support and curate Poyavy and work with the freedom to choose the form, moment, and place in which an artistic appearance feels possible or necessary. We are not bound to any specific genre of art either.

We support and curate Poyavy together with our partners and friends — artists, curators, collectives, institutions, sponsors, and patrons. We also aim to build an independently governed Ukrainian national collection of contemporary art, beyond traditional forms and genres.

It is an artistic appearance that we understand as an opportunity to be and to act in response to the demands of a moment, a context, and a purpose — or, at times, in resistance to them. Contemporary Kyiv is the freedom to choose forms and means for artistic appearances, for voicing thoughts, expressing ideas, and exchanging them.

Poyavy are artistic appearances. A Poyava may take many forms — exhibition, performance, publication, screening, encounter, artistic action, or another form that emerges within a particular context. Poyavy are part of a long-term vision through which Contemporary Kyiv supports artistic presence, collaboration, and the creation of an independently governed Ukrainian national collection of contemporary art.

Poyavy may take place in different locations and contexts — in exhibition spaces, public space, media, digital environments, or through interdisciplinary collaborations. We share information about specific locations for specific Poyavy in due course. Follow our Instagram or fill in the form below to receive invitations and updates.

Because Contemporary Kyiv is not tied to one fixed venue or format. We work with the freedom to choose the place, scale, and form that best fit a particular Poyava, context, and audience.

Organizationally, Contemporary Kyiv operates as the Contemporary Kyiv Foundation - a non-profit charitable foundation established under the laws of Ukraine. The team of Contemporary Kyiv consists of professionals with many years of experience in creating, designing, curating, and delivering contemporary art projects in Ukraine and abroad - from exhibitions and public programs to complex international initiatives. Over recent decades, we have accomplished hundreds of projects in museums, galleries, and cultural institutions across Ukraine, Austria, France, Italy, Germany, the United States, and other countries. Our experience includes organizing and curating large-scale contemporary art festivals featuring artists from Europe, Asia, and the Americas, as well as curating projects at the Venice Biennale and exhibitions at world-class museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts Vienna (Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien). We have also collaborated with leading national museums in Ukraine and abroad and worked with large and small exhibition spaces and interdisciplinary events. It is this foundation of knowledge, practice, and international connections that enables Contemporary Kyiv to operate as an independent institution, committed to strengthening the presence of Ukrainian art at home and abroad while opening greater space for voices from around the world. We are passionate about art as life’s striving to know itself.