Austausch e. V. is preparing to co-present a new artistic photo project developed by Werner Schulz Initiative fellow and Ukrainian artist, poet, and cultural organiser Zlata Zhuravlova. The project is being created together with American photographer Jonathan Benjamin Small, Marta Pysanko, and Willy Gladisch, and will be co-presented by Austausch e. V. and the Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft e. V., with Zlata’s association Dva Svity e. V. involved as an associated partner. While the project is still in development, we invite you to get to know Zlata, her artistic journey, and her reflections on Ukrainian art in Germany.

Zlata is a Ukrainian artist, poet, and cultural organiser based in Berlin. She writes poetry, works with performance and multimedia formats, and coordinates cultural initiatives for the Ukrainian community. Her experience spans artistic and cultural projects in Berlin as well as collaborations with Ukrainian volunteers, soldiers, and diaspora communities. Her artistic practice is closely intertwined with activism, exploring themes of war, memory, and identity.

She recently published her first German-Ukrainian poetry book with KLAK Verlag, titled Vorspiel. The book presentation took place on 13 November in the form of a poetic-musical performance that told the story of Zlata’s life – from her childhood in a Ukrainian village to her move to Berlin and her path toward becoming an artist. The production brought together around 20 participants from different creative fields. Directed by Marta Pysanko and Polina Okhrytkova, the performance featured original music composed specifically for the event by bezlich band, Kvytlyst, Zarabudu, nntn music, and Willy Gladisch, alongside contributions from dancers, actors, and other creatives.

– What project are you working on together with Austausch? When will we be able to see the results?

We are preparing a photo project that I’m creating with my small team at a German-Ukrainian association. It’s a young, non-profit organisation (Verein) founded in January 2025 with German and Ukrainian activists. The art project doesn’t have a title yet, but we have already selected photographs. These are analogue images by Jonathan Benjamin Small, an American photographer who has travelled to Ukraine many times. He photographed very different cities, met soldiers – many of whom I also work with and know personally. He visited hospitals, funerals… so this will be a deeply emotional project about different people in different circumstances.

I will also write story-texts about the soldiers he photographed. I travelled to Kyiv, conducted interviews, and recorded their testimonies. This will be a meaningful and profound project – and I can already share a few early selections of the photos.
Marta Pysanko accompanied Jonathan on his journey through Ukraine and serves as the curator of this photo exhibition. A Ukrainian artist and director, she shaped the exhibition’s structure and atmosphere, drawing on her presence during the travels to create an emotional and coherent pathway through Jonathan’s photographs, connecting the intimate and collective moments captured along the way.

The team also includes Berlin-based sound producer Willy Gladisch, who will create the exhibition’s sound composition from recordings made in Ukraine. Marta Pysanko will also lead guided tours during the exhibition period.

– How do you see Ukrainian artists in Germany today?

There are an extraordinary number of Ukrainian artists in Germany now – working in photography, music, dance, visual arts, theatre. In Berlin, something Ukrainian happens almost every day: an opening, a performance, an exhibition, a concert.
Here are some wonderful spaces I highly recommend:
serpen gallery
Art Space in Exile – an art space in Berlin working with themes of exile and migration.
STUDIO UKRAINE – a studio offering workshops, artistic support, and events for Ukrainian creatives.
BEZLICH – a community of Ukrainian artists; a platform for networking and creative events.

– What is the role of art in these turbulent times?

Art has never been outside politics. It is part of society and part of our shared experience. Today, artists living abroad carry a special responsibility – to communicate the image of Ukraine to the world. Every performance, every poem I share brings attention back to Ukraine. It sparks discussion, emotions, new thoughts. And that gives me the motivation not to stop.
Right now, people find it easier to perceive information through art – music, poetry, performance. It is a pathway to the heart, and through it, to the mind. It is true food for the soul. My strategy is to speak about important things through artistic expression – things that stay with people for a long time.

We will soon publish the official date and further details of the upcoming photo project by Zlata Zhuravlova, Jonathan Benjamin Small, Marta Pysanko, and Willy Gladisch. The project is developed by Werner Schulz Initiative fellow Zlata Zhuravlova and is hosted by Austausch e. V. and the Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft e. V., with Dva Svity e. V. involved as an associated partner.

Photo by Elizabeth Nastenko