ESI – Emergency Support Initiative

In the first days of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Kyiv Biennial launched the Emergency Support Initiative for the members of the artistic and cultural community in Ukraine who found themselves in need. Its main goal is to support people remaining in the country and to provide them with immediate financial relief under the conditions of occupation and/or relocation.

The Initiative was generously supported by a number of cultural events held in EU countries raising funds for ESI. Such art auctions, concerts and exhibitions took place in Germany, Norway, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden and elsewhere.

In cooperation with the Museum Crisis Center, ESI covered urgent needs and supported museum workers on the frontline and in occupied territories in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Chernihiv and Kherson regions where people were left without any governmental support.

We support the art residencies in Lviv, Uzhgorod, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil and Kyiv that extended their capacities to host those who fled the war zones and provide members of cultural community with a safe place for life and work. As well as documentary and art projects dedicated to collecting evidence of the war and reflecting on the current situation in Ukraine.

By continuing, we hope to preserve the space for cultural work and creative practices in Ukraine despite the brutal invasion and growing economic crisis, answering these threats with enthusiasm and creativity, spreading the voice of solidarity and nurturing love towards art and culture.

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