Imaginary City 2.0

“Imaginary City” is a residency dedicated to exploring Dnipro and its unique characteristics.

The residency was first held in 2021, bringing together researchers, artists, journalists, and curators from various Ukrainian cities. In 2024, we invited local cultural figures to participate in the residency to delve into Dnipro’s contexts, reflect on the historical role of the region, examine significant phenomena or forgotten names, and highlight aspects that could help reimagine identity and the city’s mythos.

Over two weeks, from May 11 to May 25, participants engaged in lectures, conversations with historians and artists, discussions, excursions, and workshops. At the program’s conclusion, they showcased their projects about Dnipro at a final pop-up exhibition. This exhibition combined several formats: visual art (painting, photography, animation), audiovisual and text-based visual art, installations, and cultural and architectural studies.

The residents’ projects focused on themes such as memory, myth, grassroots initiatives, historical complexes, modern city symbols, ways of perceiving the urban space, media synthesis, and the interplay of different art forms.

The residency participants included Leokadia Shuhurova, Tamara Turliun, Oleksandr Suprun, Yevhen Obraztsov, Anastasiia Horbanova, Tymur Leshchenko, Yulia Kozynka, Volodymyr Habuda, Yana Berezniak.

This residency is part of the “We Are Open” program and is implemented with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) “Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative” (UCBI).