What is the first object/place/action that you perceived and remember as art?
I think it was when I saw Chersones Tavriiskyi in Crimea as a child. Chersonesi Tavriiskyi is a remnant of an ancient settlement. Now it is being destroyed by Russian occupiers, because both the museum of Chersones Tavriiskyi was looted and the outdoor location was damaged by new buildings that they built on the site.
What do you associate with the term intervention?
Unfortunately, military aggression, because I come from Ukraine, which sadly shares borders with the aggressor state Russia. But as well an intervention in psychotherapy, which can be perceived as affirmative and aimed at overcoming traumas, make a person feel better.
Is art political?
Definitely. It can be emancipatory, but it can also be manipulative. To present oneself as explicitly »apolitical« is to take a position that supports the aggressors.
What is important to you in the exchange between the arts, academia and public(s)?
That everything be called by its name and not by some euphemism, as the Ukrainian writer Stanislav Asieiev wrote: »To call the evil by its real name«.
Can an artistic intervention fail?
Yes, of course. When it simulates action and apes mainstream (usually, ›Western‹) activism and doesn't produce any senses or touch on issues that are really critical for society (so it doesn't get received).
Is there an artist/activist who should be better known – and why?
Yes. I think people should know more about Svitlana Povaliaieva (*1974) and her son Roman Ratushnyi (1997-2022). Svitlana is a Ukrainian poet and civic activist who has been involved in politically critical performances and community support actions for many years. Her son Roman was an activist who organized campaigns against the destruction of green zones in Kyiv. Roman was an important voice of the Kyiv youth who wanted to save their city. Together they were active participants of the Revolution of Dignity. Roman died defending Ukraine in 2022.