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«Cloud Storage» exhibition project

26.02.2026

«Cloud Storage»
Exhibition project

Organized by :

On 19 March 2026, the M17 Contemporary Art Center will open the second part of the large-scale project “Cloud Storage” within the framework of the 17th Platform of Cultural Initiatives “Newest Directions.” This will mark the second exhibition of the project, which unfolds across three institutions in Kyiv: the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine, M17 Contemporary Art Center, and the Modern Art Research Institute.

“Cloud Storage” fosters a public discussion on art as a means of reflecting on the past, the asynchrony of history and collective memory, the fragility of cultural heritage, war as a factor in shaping new memory in Ukraine, and the limits of the digitalisation of human experience.

Curatorial Concept:

The legend of the Library of Alexandria, where the most valuable works of ancient philosophers were lost to fire, reminds us that it is wiser to build not a single perfect library, but thousands of them across the world. Today, amid a new wave of barbarism sweeping the globe, this strategy remains profoundly relevant. Yet it is not only the carriers of information that are under threat, but the carriers of culture as well.

While archives can be digitised, collective memory cannot yet be fully “uploaded to the cloud.” For collective memory is not merely about information; it concerns how we perceive our past and what we choose to regard within it as truth or falsehood.

In this sense, one of the fundamental functions of art has always been that of remembrance. From prehistoric cave paintings to virtual sculpture, art draws our attention to the horrific and the beautiful, the monumental and the insignificant, to that which is difficult to forget and that which must be remembered.

At the same time, art reminds us that memory is never fixed. It shifts not only according to changing interpretations of particular fragments of history, but also in relation to the degree of their awareness and the level of detail in the human imagination. Not all events of the past are thoroughly documented; however, temporal distance does not necessarily prevent the restoration of truth. Some secrets are revealed – as in archaeology – only after prolonged analysis and careful verification of all available evidence.

What once seemed secondary may later prove decisive, while what was regarded as unquestionable truth does not always withstand the test of new evidence. History offers many examples of individuals who were underestimated or persecuted during their lifetimes, yet were later recognised as among the most significant figures of their era.

Behind each such “rediscovery,” however, stand specific individuals: researchers, archivists, and families who, despite prohibitions and indifference, preserved documents, artworks, and personal testimonies. Without their often invisible labour, no such recognition would have been possible.

Due to these efforts, figures of the “Executed Renaissance” are now returning to collective memory. Public interest in the Ukrainian avant-garde once banned in the Soviet period continues to grow, while archival collections that remained classified for decades have been opened for research and digitisation. At the same time, the process of commemorating the names of the heroes of the Revolution of Dignity and the Russian–Ukrainian war is ongoing.

The digital age has significantly expanded the possibilities for documenting reality. Photographs, videos, voice messages, and social media posts gradually form personal archives that constantly require additional storage space, whether on physical drives or in cloud-based repositories. Yet memory is defined not only by preserved facts, but also by how they are interpreted and how they shape worldview and identity.

Today, in a time of war in Ukraine, a new chapter is being written not only in history, but also in collective memory – one in which the most valuable element is the shared experience of overcoming profound trials. This memory cannot be destroyed by missiles or drones, for it is not confined to a single trench or shelter. It exists wherever people remember who brought war to our land and at what cost our freedom is sustained.

 

The exhibition at the M17 Contemporary Art Center will feature works by the following artists:

Svitlana Ahranovska, Artem Andreichuk, Oleksandr Antoniuk, Nataliia Antypina, Leo Buy, Mariia Charkina, Oleg Chorny & Gennadiy Khmaruk, Diana Demianenko, Margo Dubovska, Eva Fomitski, GO.RA, Alena Grom, Petro Gronsky, Yurko Gutsulyak, Yuliia Holub, Sofiia Holubeva, Sofiia Horbachevska, Instytut Avtomatyky, Daria Khozhai, Anna Kostomarova, Olia Koval, Alisa Kulesh, Andrew Kunitsyn, Olena Kurzel, Kostiantyn Liberov, Anastasiia Litvinova, Volodymyr Liubyi, Bohdan Lokatyr and Margaryta Zhurunova, Anastasiia Mamay, Mariia Matiienko, Serhii Melnychenko, Anna Myronova, Yelyzaveta Obukhovska, Valeriia Osina, Kristina Otchich-Cherniak, Uliana Pashkova, Ivana Poliakova, Yuliia Popika, Valentyna Prytula, Mykhaylo Ray, Nataliia Satsyk, Kateryna Savchuk, Bogdan Seredyak, Maryna Shchehelska, Nika Shumeiko, Yuliia Shybirkina, Yeva Sihachova, Julia-Anna Simonchuk, slinko, Mylana Stadna, Veronika Synenka, Vlad Tretiak, Olena Tsiluiko, Nikita Tsoi, Anna Vekhnyk, Polina Verbytska, Iryna Vodolazhchenko, Kamila Yanar and Sophia Gera, Oksana Zharun, Svitlana Zhytnia, Valeriia Zymina.

The selection of works for the exhibition project across the participating institutions was conducted through an open call, during which artists from Ukraine and abroad submitted their proposals. In total, more than 600 applications were received.

The project “Cloud Storage” continues the format of interinstitutional collaboration that has become an established practice for the M17 Contemporary Art Center. In partnership with the Modern Art Research Institute and the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine, two large-scale exhibition projects have previously been realised, unfolding across three venues and shaping a shared yet polyphonic artistic dialogue.

In 2023, this collaboration resulted in the exhibition project “Concentration of the Will,” which reflected on the experience of war and the Ukrainian understanding of freedom and will. In 2024-2025, the partnership continued with the project “Resilience Formula,” focusing on everyday practices of endurance and the capacity of Ukrainian society to adapt to prolonged life under wartime conditions. “Cloud Storage” has become the third project in this sequence.

Curators: Andriy Sydorenko, Iryna Yatsyk

Project management from the institutions:

Andriy Puchkov (NAAU), Natalia Shpytkovska (M17 CAC), Igor Abramovych (MARI)

The exhibition project at M17 is supported by the Adamovskiy Foundation.

 

The opening at the M17 CAC: 19 March at 6:30 p.m.

Address: 102-104 V. Antonovycha St., Kyiv City, Ukraine

Admission is free subject to prior registration:  https://nethunt.com/service/automation/forms/69a6cf3fe468eff5af775573

 

Please send applications for press accreditation to info@m17.artcult.org.ua, indicating the journalist’s full name, media/publication title, contact phone number and email.

 

The National Academy of Arts of Ukraine (NAAU) is a self-administered scientific institution that promotes the preservation and continuation of traditions in the field of art, art history and cultural studies, as well as support for art education and the scientific community of Ukraine. The Academy leads educational and research institutions.

Modern Art Research Institute of the NAA of Ukraine (MARI of the NAAU) is the only research institution in Ukraine that carries out fundamental scientific research in various fields of contemporary art, as well as practical and research studies, aimed at the formation of professional contemporary art and architecture, implementation of new art technologies and practices, the further formation of national culture, preparation and publication of monographs, collections of scientific papers on the main scientific directions of the Institute. Founded in 2001. 

M17 Contemporary Art Center is a cultural institution that functions as an educational and research platform, an exhibition venue for Ukrainian and foreign contemporary art. The activities of the Center are aimed at creating a dialogue space for professional circles and all the representatives of the culture sector as a whole, at study and research of contemporary and related historical cultural processes. M17 supports art experiments, collaborations and international exchanges of experts and artists from various art fields, in order to integrate Ukrainian art into the world context.

Adamovskiy Foundation is a non-profit foundation founded in 2018 by businessman Andriy Adamovskiy. The Foundation’s activities are aimed at preserving and studying the cultural heritage of Ukraine and Eastern Europe. The Foundation’s mission is to promote culture and art as a guarantee of sustainable and enlightened development of society. The Foundation is actively involved in organising and supporting exhibition projects, publishing initiatives, educational and discussion platforms, international forums and expert sessions.