Hi! My name is Maria Vtorushina, I’m a researcher and curator from Kyiv. I will work at FASoS as a researcher from September 2022 to April 2023.
I’m a visiting scholar who is proud to have the first Soteria Fellowship, established by the board of FASoS in 2022. My main fields of research are the history of queer art and the fight for human rights in Ukraine.
I’m a scholar and curator. I hold a Master’s degree in Art History from the National Academy of Arts and Architecture, Kyiv. My many curatorial projects are based on analysing notions, concepts and practices of freedom.
In my ongoing research, I aim to reveal and articulate voices and practices of queer people from Ukraine, censored or repressed by government regimes starting from the beginning of the twentieth century.
During my stay at FASoS, I will work on integrating the narratives of Ukrainian female and queer artists in European context and vice versa. I will analyse archival materials from the Museum of the Sixties (Kyiv), dedicated to the generation of the prominent thinkers and artists repressed by the Soviet regime, research the art of Ukrainian diaspora and dissidents in the Netherlands, and do interviews with activists and human right defenders.
Alongside the research work in Kyiv I’ve been organising art and music festivals. I was leading the Kyiv Art Week as its artistic director for six years and made a number of underground festivals. My dream is to establish an international art centre and a residency by the Black Sea in Yalta, when Crimea will be de-occupied and returned to Ukraine.
While at FASoS, I will be based in the Literature and Art capacity group, the Arts, Media and Culture research programme, and the Centre for Gender and Diversity. I will also drop into different relevant research meetings and events, where I hope to make contact with you.
