Artists in Residence Ukraine

Residency for Ukrainian artists

The “Artists in Residence Ukraine” grant is aimed at visual artists from Ukraine who are affected by the Russia-Ukraine war. These can be refugee artists in the European diaspora as well as artists who are still in Ukraine but are restricted in their working methods and/or are looking for networking with an external artistic community.

The residency comprises a two-month working stay for one artist in the guest studio of the Künstlerhaus Bremen, a cash grant including materials and a travel allowance. Within the framework of the residency, an artist discussion is to take place in order to enable an exchange with visual artists and curators from the Bremen scene.
In addition, a studio visit or work discussion should be planned at the end of the stay with the artists and the curator of the house in the host studio. The goal here is a mutual exchange on the content, working conditions, and experiences in their respective practices. During the residency, the artist in residence will be assigned a contact person from among the artistic community. The residency is family-friendly: parents can take up the residency with their children (childcare not included).

Award procedure
It is not possible to apply directly for the residency. A jury of Artists at Risk and the Goethe-Institut will review all applications received and propose suitable artists for the residency at the Künstlerhaus Bremen. The final selection lies with Künstlerhaus Bremen.

Previous fellows:
2022: Vasyl Grublyak

Ukrainian Guest Artist 2022: Vasyl Grublyak 

The artist Vasyl Grublyak, who lives in Kiev, Ukraine, was a visiting fellow at the Künstlerhaus Bremen from November to December 2022. The two-month working and living scholarship "Artists in Residence Ukraine" is a cooperation of the Künstlerhaus Bremen with the Goethe-Institut and Artists at Risk and is aimed at artists from Ukraine who have been affected by the Russia-Ukraine war.

During his stay at the Künstlerhaus Bremen, Vasyl Grublyak took photographs that explore the perception of light in supposedly romantic and peaceful situations in Kiev and Bremen. The artist from Kiev, Ukraine, who otherwise works with spatial and light installations, chose the medium of photography for his exploration of light during his guest scholarship at the Künstlerhaus Bremen: "Every time I photograph something, I tell myself: I like this light. I don't capture the object or the event, but how the light interacts with the subject and the surrounding space. These photos are my intimate diary in which I record my perception of light." Since 24 February 2022, the subject of light has taken on a whole new meaning for Grublyak, literally and figuratively. In the field of tension between saving electricity and power cuts, dim candlelight and a lack of light, Grublyak contrasts photographs from Bremen and Kiev in the guest studio of the Künstlerhaus Bremen at the end of his guest scholarship.

Vasyl Grublyak (*1984 in Kiev, Ukraine), graduated from the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture in Kiev. Grublyak’s work ranges between sculpture and design. Vasyl Grublyak has participated in exhibitions and art fairs in Ukraine and internationally with his large-scale light installations.

With the kind support of