Ukrainian Museum in New York Plans Major Kazimir Malevich Exhibition
The Ukrainian Museum in New York is preparing a landmark exhibition on Kazimir Malevich that will reframe the artist’s legacy through the lens of decolonization and Ukrainian identity.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Ukrinform.
During a visit to Kyiv, Museum Director Peter Doroshenko revealed that the institution is planning to launch the exhibition within the next two and a half years.
The project is being developed in collaboration with Ukrainian art historian and curator Tetiana Filevska.
“In two and a half years, we want to present a major exhibition on Kazimir Malevich in the context of decolonization. We’re already working on it with researcher Tetiana Filevska,” Doroshenko said.
Doroshenko emphasized the need to highlight the Ukrainian dimensions of Malevich’s life and work, noting that most of the 29 books about the artist in the museum’s collection reflect a Russian-centric narrative.
“I’ve counted that the museum in New York has 29 books about Malevich, and in all of them you can see the fingerprints of Russian influence,” he stated. “ Sometimes it’s because of a good relationship with the director of a Russian museum, sometimes because the materials came from Moscow, or the books were printed there.”
He cited historical evidence, including a Soviet-era passport uncovered by a Moscow curator in 1994, which listed Malevich’s nationality as Ukrainian. “If Kazimir Malevich felt Ukrainian, then we must tell that story and honor his self-identification,” he stressed.
While acknowledging Malevich’s Polish heritage, Doroshenko pointed out that the artist was born and raised in Kyiv, where his family had lived for generations and where some of his relatives still reside.
The future exhibition will center around a rare four-minute experimental film created by Malevich in collaboration with German filmmaker Hans Richter. In addition to the film, the museum plans to showcase seven to eight original works by the artist.
This upcoming exhibition is poised to be one of the most significant efforts in redefining Malevich’s artistic identity on the global stage.
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