Nikita Kadan: Stone Hits Stone

The PinchukArtCentre (Kyiv, Ukraine) presents Stone Hits Stone by Nikita Kadan, made in the context of the PinchukArtCentre’s Research Platform. His first major solo exhibition in Ukraine presents both new produced and existing works reflecting on Ukrainian history, political violence, national historical heritage, avant-garde and Soviet utopia. This exhibition deals with present day challenges in its inextricable connection with the past, using history to enlighten the present and imagine the future. 

Björn Geldhof, curator of the exhibition and artistic director of the PinchukArtCentre: “Stone Hits Stone is the first major solo exhibition by Nikita Kadan in Ukraine and his largest solo exhibition to date. It is a celebration of an artist who has created over the last 14 years a vibrant international career while influencing and supporting many Ukrainian artists. For the PinchukArtCentre, Nikita Kadan is just the third Ukrainian artist in 15 years represented with a major solo exhibition. He follows in the footsteps of the two other monuments: Sergey Bratkov and Boris Mikhailov. This landmark exhibition follows a long journey of collaborations since 2007. Kadan showed twice in the PinchukArtCentre Prize (winning it in 2009), twice in the Future Generation Art Prize (once as a member of REP), took part in the exhibition Fear and Hope and presented his works in five other group exhibitions. Therefore, not without pride, we celebrate Nikita Kadan with this exhibition, marking history while dreaming of the future.” 

The exhibition opens with a “flashback” expressed as an intuitive artistic and historical reflection mainly through the works of those who are seen as the Ukrainian avant-garde. It accentuates Kadan’s use of the historical past, in the form of ideologies, art and acts of political violence. 

Permeating the entire exhibition are historical events, objects and designs that Kadan re-interprets with regard to present-day pressing need to resist geopolitical failures, imperialist aggression and far-right ideologies.

Stone Hits Stone is never about “history as it really was,” it is a motive that flashes up in the moment of danger, and it enlightens our present and directs us towards the future.

On the occasion of Nikita Kadan’s solo exhibition, the PinchukArtCentre will publish in early March 2021 an online book, Stone Hits Stone. The collected texts by Uilleam Blacker, Bjorn Geldhof, Kateryna Mischenko and Kateryna Yakovlenko will elaborate on history and memory, art interpretation of the past and violence as well as actualisation of the avant-garde legacy today. The design is by Aliona Solomadina. The book will be available on the PinchukArtCentre web page in English and Ukrainian.

Curator: Björn Geldhof, artistic director of the PinchukArtCentre. Assistant curator: Kateryna Iakovlenko, researcher and curator of Public Programs of the PinchukArtCentre. Exposition architecture and design: Dana Kosmina.

Nikita (Mykyta) Kadan was born in Kyiv in 1982. In 2007, he graduated from the National Academy of Fine Art (Kyiv) where he studied at the on department of monumental painting. Nikita Kadan is a member of the group of artists R.E.P. (Revolutionary Experimental Space) since 2004 and co-founder and member of the HUDRADA, group of curators and activities, since 2008. He is the main prize winner of the PinchukArtCentre Prize 2011 and a special prize winner of the Future Generation Art Prize 2014. Participant of Venice, Istanbul, Kyiv, Busan biennials. The works of Nikita Kadan feature in collections of such museums as Pinakothek der Moderne (Munich), MUMOK Museum Contemporary Art (Vienna), MuHKa Museum of Contemporary Art (Antwerp),  Museum of Modern Art (Warsaw) (Poland), Military History Museum (Dresden), National Art Museum (Kyiv).