Experience of Migration in Belarusian Art. Part 2. Aesthetics and Practices of Works After 2010, Organizations, Transcultural Practices
In the first part of this review-study, authored by , the theoretical aspects of migration were addressed, along with the challenges of studying art related to this experience. The history of the migration of cultural workers from Belarus was also outlined, and examples of several works created before 2010 were presented.
This text offers a more detailed examination of the aesthetics and practices of works that address the theme of migratory experience. A noticeable growth of artistic statements has been registered since 2010, with a particular surge occurring after 2020, which vividly demonstrates the topicality of migration in Belarusian art. These works are characterized by a wide range of interdisciplinary practices, in which the artists’ own experiences are contextually and intensively reflected, most often with profound emotional resonance. The text also raises the issue of the activities of cultural and creative organizations that play a significant role in supporting people with migratory experience, as well as transcultural practices that foster the creation of new forms of interaction and the rethinking of identity at the intersection of local and global contexts.
Border
The very definition of the word “migration” points to the passage from one point to another, or to being in this transitional state. Such states are intrinsic to human existence, which is marked by movement and processuality. The world around us changes at tremendous speed, just as we ourselves change. While the borders of nation-states may appear static, from the perspective of time nothing is permanent, including the spatial designations of territories.
In the context of migration, borders in art become a multilayered symbol: they reflect physical barriers dividing countries, but also symbolic ones – cultural, social, and internal limitations faced by individuals with migratory experience. Such works frequently explore the tension between restriction and freedom, raising questions of belonging, identity, and transformation.
In the installation , explores the constructed nature of borders. The artist demonstrates various ways of partitioning the territory of Belarus, whose borders shifted multiple times during the twentieth century as a result of dynamic geopolitical changes. The project consists of nine maps of the country embedded into school chairs, each corresponding to a specific historical period between 1918 and 1945 that left its imprint on the history of Belarus.
In the work , treats the current borders of Belarus as a puzzle-like space from which one must find a way out. The piece is part of the series (since 2021), in which the artist engages in dialogue and invites interaction with the temporal and spatial context of Belarus.
The Polish-Belarusian artist , in her painting , presents a perspective on the Polish border zone with barbed wire – a sight familiar to every Belarusian heading toward Europe. In the title of the work, the artist refers to a phrase from the classic Polish comedy Sami swoi (“All Friends”), which is based on the stories of women resettled from the eastern territories to the so-called “recovered lands.”
In the work , addresses the state of war through the form of a quasi-news report. The video captures a blue sky cut by the contrails of passing aircraft, the tops of birch trees, and moving traffic; this visual image contrasts with the alarming headlines reflecting the tension of the borderlands: “The Belarusian border is intensifying,” “Military exercises continue in Belarus,” “Russian troops at the border of Ukraine and Belarus.” In the context of the border, it is also worth remembering the art action and the book . In this project, the artist considers the possibility of measuring the presence of the soul through a passport, a document that certifies identity through a system of belonging and power.
The series by draws attention to the tourist crossing of borders and brings together the official national tourism slogans of forty-eight countries into sixteen poems.
The theme of borders, territories, and the coexistence of states emerges in work , in which he employs fragments of 3D models of border landscapes with Ukraine and Latvia. In this piece, the artist approaches the Belarusian border as a site of historical “fractures,” which have become particularly visible in connection with the political situation in these regions – the full-scale war in Ukraine and the tightening of the EU borders. The work also reflects on the production and perception of space, in this case postcolonial and imperial.
In , explores the theme of borders through the interplay of temporal and cosmic cycles, uncovering the connections between historical events and global crises. The artist creates a symbolic map using metal rings and graphic lines that mark the positions of planets during key events, such as the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. The work raises questions about the cyclicality of history, the non-linear perception of time, and the limits of human understanding, intertwining the cosmic and the earthly, the present and the future into a single temporal fabric.
Humanitarian Crisis on the Polish-Belarusian Border
Another crisis that served as an impulse for artistic reflection on the theme of migration is the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border. It began in 2021 with the influx of people, mostly from Syria and Iraq, who sought to enter the European Union. The state apparatus of Belarus used these people as an instrument of pressure on the EU, while Poland responded with strict territorial control measures. Taken together, this led to a humanitarian crisis marked by violence, cold, and the absence of basic conditions for survival for those who found themselves in the borderlands.
In the installation , reflects on this situation through everyday objects and photographs covered in crystalline green salt, transforming them into symbols of a lost home. The artist addresses the state of limbo in which people have found themselves. The use of salt in this work may allude to the desire to preserve objects of significance for those in migration, while at the same time symbolizing corrosion and decay. Salt also serves as a reference to tears. In this way, the work conveys the sense of losing one’s home, of time suspended in waiting, and of the helplessness of refugees whose lives have turned into enforced waiting in uncertainty.
by also symbolically reflects the current situation on the Belarusian-Polish border. The artist created a project consisting of a silver print photograph and an installation, which was first presented to the public near the Polish-Belarusian border in . With this project, Glushan pays tribute to the memory of those stuck at the border, those who went missing or died while attempting to cross, those forced to leave their countries for political reasons in search of safety – and all those who cannot do so and remain under constant pressure, as well as divided families.
In the series , explores questions of belonging and protection, focusing on who is considered worthy of being protected. The works address the consequences of the fortification of national borders, which become not only physical barriers but also symbols of isolation and the loss of humanity. Through the lens of the migration crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border, the artist underscores the fragility of human life confronted with global geopolitical processes and examines how physical barriers reflect ruptures in the very foundations of human solidarity.
The Symbolism of the Border
A border may be represented physically, for instance as walls, rivers, or fences, but also abstractly – as a line dividing identities, cultures, or stages of life. Artists often employ the symbolism of the border to explore questions of belonging, isolation, and interaction, transforming it from a barrier into a point of intersection and dialogue, thereby highlighting the complexity of the migratory experience.
An integral symbol of the border – the border post – appears in the work “ by . The artist created an object covered with spikes as a symbol of the inaccessibility of borders and the danger of their “illegal” crossing. Busel also reinterprets borders and the migratory experience through the boundaries of life and death in the works “ and .
In the work , approaches the theme of borders with irony, addressing both their physical and symbolic dimensions. The artist engages with the geographical and historical context of the bridge over the Inn River – a site marking the border between Austria and Germany – and the town of Braunau am Inn, known as the birthplace of Adolf Hitler. In this work, Savchenko juxtaposes the observation of the sky, metaphorically pointing to its universality and the absence of visible divisions, with the depiction of the border as a site saturated with historical connotations.
Since 2018, has been working on a that explores migration, borders, and the overcoming of barriers. The impetus for its creation came from the bureaucratic difficulties of the artist’s own immigration. It addresses themes such as the crisis on the Belarusian-Polish border, military conflicts, and smuggling. One of the series of works – Contraband of Biomaterials – is dedicated to the subject of smuggling meat (a symbol of biopolitics) across the Belarusian-Polish border. Particular attention to the geopolitical crisis is given in another of his cycles – – which reflects transformations in the region.
In the project , draws attention to what and how people carry across borders, from the perspective of forced migration and the tragedy of what is taking place. She conveys her research through the symbol of luggage, in which individuals with migratory experience gather the attributes of their former lives. This multimedia series continues the project , which has been based on interviews with Belarusian emigrants since 2021. In it, the artist highlights the emotional aspects of displacement, such as the loss of home, fear, uncertainty, and guilt. The work addresses the symbolism of temporariness, reflecting the difficulties of adaptation and the anticipation of return. Familiar objects here lose their comfort and become symbols of a frozen, enforced existence.
’s work addresses the theme of the metaphysical border. The painting depicts an object on a kind of vehicle that has stopped at a line, creating the impression of an empty, unreachable space.
Power and Control
Crossings of borders become not only a physical but also a symbolic experience of confronting systems of power. States establish strict mechanisms of control – from visa restrictions to border inspections – that determine who is deemed worthy of crossing and who will be rejected. The individual is reduced to documents, and their contents shape a new social status, influencing one’s opportunities and freedoms. Art that explores migration often engages with aspects of power, revealing both individual stories and the global systems that govern movement and entrench hierarchies.
In the work , documents a six-year experience of observing asylum procedures at the Berlin Administrative Court, where she recorded judges’ questions, the interior of the courtroom, and various situations through drawings and text. This research addresses the tightening of asylum regulations, in which a person is forced to fight for the right to safety. In a series of posters, the artist creates a documentary and visual narrative about the complexity and despair involved in the search for a safe place.
In the installation , and reflect on the difficulties of emigration and engage with the theme of marriage as a means of obtaining support and stability in different countries, particularly under conditions of political repression. The document as a symbol defining identity also appears in their work .
In Canvas Cut with the Karta Polaka (from ), responds to the difficulties of obtaining the Karta Polaka, a document that confirms affiliation with the Polish nation and thereby grants the possibility of migration. The work alludes to the practice of Lucio Fontana, whose slashed canvases explore the idea of rupture and boundary, as well as to a scene from Pinocchio with a false fireplace, symbolizing deception and illusion. By cutting the canvas with the document, the artist demonstrates how migration papers become instruments of power, creating new physical and emotional borders.
In , explores the absurdity of visa procedures and the bureaucracy accompanying migration. The constant expiration of visas and the cyclical submission of documents turn into an endless carousel. The work reflects the dependence on status, in which the individual becomes lost among official papers and regulations.
In , explores the theme of power through his personal experience of interacting with the German bureaucratic system. Using statistics – 3,061 characters in correspondence, 101 outgoing calls totaling 104 minutes, 27 incoming calls, 63 sent and 27 received letters – the artist underscores the complexity and stress that arise when confronting the state system. The author engages with migration policy, which defines the lives of migrants, turning their requests for assistance into a long and painful process. Kovalsky critically exposes how bureaucratic structures reinforce inequality and consolidate the borders of power.
The installation by intertwines the collective history of the resettlement of the inhabitants of the town of Nowa Ruda after the Second World War with the artist’s personal family history connected to the resettlement from Western Belarus. Three sculptures made of concrete apple tree roots symbolize uprooted and displaced roots, reflecting the experience of loss and the search for a new home. The project investigates the condition of “displacement,” both physical and internal, thus becoming an artistic reflection on memory, identity, and the consequences of migration.
Home
The theme of home becomes one of the central concerns in art reflecting the migratory experience. It examines the profound connection between memory, loss, and the acquisition of a new space of belonging. Home is perceived not only as a physical place but also as a symbol of identity, cultural heritage, and safety. Artists working with this theme often explore the state between past and present, creating works in which home becomes a site where dreams, memories, and reality intersect.
In the project , explores the merging of reality and memory, portraying the urban landscape of Warsaw through the prism of Belarusian migrants’ recollections.
The project by consists of a series of video narratives by Belarusians who left their country, reflecting on their perception of home and the emotions associated with this notion. Each participant’s response is accompanied by hand-sewn textile objects that come together in an installation symbolizing a collective image of home.
The installation by explores the theme of home and displacement through the personal experience of migration, embodied in the names of three cities that serve as the artist’s “homes.” The work combines text, light, and space, with the city names placed in mirror reflection, emphasizing the duality of perception.
In the previously mentioned multi-layered project , presents migration through the stories of political refugees. The project consists of several cycles that reveal different aspects of the complex process of migration – for instance, the series responds to the theme of practices of regaining a lost sense of home in a new place.
In the performance , explored the concept of home through symbolism and physical sensations. The artist turned to elements – earth, salt, and flour – which became metaphors for home as both place and feeling. The performance invited spectators to collectively reconsider the meaning of home, extending the reflection toward the notion of family. In this way, the performance became a space for dialogue and for seeking connections between memory, corporeality, and place.
In , considers the return to the true “self” as a process of metanoia, at the end of which one can find the sense of home.
The work by symbolically addresses the theme of home and displacement through architectural images combined with elements of instability. The wooden structure resembles a compact settlement or fortified town, in which the houses are closely pressed against each other, forming an enclosed space. Koshkarov’s work interprets the home not as a static object but as a living, mobile organism. At the same time, the central element speaks of rupture – a tree that has been cut down, leaving only its root system, perhaps suggesting that it was from its upper part that this mobile settlement was built.
The duo in draws attention to the situation of families divided by the military conflict in Ukraine and to their digital contact as a means of preserving family bonds.
In the project , also turns to the theme of people from Ukraine with refugee status. The author photo-documents the emotional and physical condition of those who, after the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, arrive at a shelter located in a former state school in the Polish city of Wrocław. Kuzmichova captures the state of “limbo,” suspended between a lost home, the present condition, and an uncertain future.
Changing Identity
Art that reflects the migratory experience inevitably addresses the theme of personal transformation. The process of displacement alters one’s self-conception: the established “I” encounters new cultural, social, and political contexts, where identity undergoes transformation and redefinition. These processes compel individuals to ask themselves new questions and to seek answers to the challenges of a new reality – adaptation, assimilation, resistance.
In the work , presents the migrant as naked before the outside world – fragile, with heavy baggage carried along, ultimately to destroy the old identity in order to create a new one: a migrant identity.
The work by immerses the viewer in an intimate, diary-like world of reflections on displacement, loss, and the search for a new identity. Centered on the experience of loneliness, personal crisis, and attempts to rethink one’s own life, the work becomes a metaphor for migration – both as physical relocation and as an inner search for home, meaning, and stability. The traumatic experience of migration also appears in her work .
In the work , explores the theme of control and vulnerability, using a found relief depicting a mother and child – symbols of care and protection. The traditional image is disrupted by the insertion of a modern ventilation system with a motion sensor. It becomes a metaphor for external intervention, illustrating the condition of individuals with migratory experience who are forced to adapt to an alien environment without natural protection. The work raises the question of how coercive mechanisms of control transform care into a mechanized process stripped of humanity. It underscores the fragility and vulnerability of the individual under conditions of global instability and forced displacement.
The project by is a multifaceted exploration of Belarusian identity in the context of migration, exile, and historical colonization. It highlights how the search for the meaning of “Belarusianness” has become an integral part of self-definition for the people. Reflecting on the interrelations between culture, memory, and place, the project employs the visual-semantic symbol of the kut (corner) as a metaphor for the Homeland.
The work by reflects the complex experiences and challenges faced by a person with migratory experience who strives to maintain a connection with their native culture. Within this work, the artist explores the loss of cultural roots in the context of migration and exile, employing the image of “amputation” as a metaphor for the forced rupture of ties with one’s homeland. The project raises questions of preserving identity and sustaining cultural heritage under conditions of global displacement.
In the work , uses the image of his own moustache as an instrument for recording time and reflecting on the personal experience of migration. The moustache becomes a symbol of the passing years associated with forced departure, loss, and changes in the artist’s life. This intimate and emotional gesture not only marks an inner stage of accepting reality but also addresses the broader theme of migration and identity.
The works and by are installations and a performative gesture in which the theme of migration is revealed through metaphors of vulnerability, return, and refilling. The artist investigates cultural memory, the loss and transformation of identity, including the sense of belonging and the need for recognition within the national context. Sculptures in the form of empty body-sarcophagi absorb new meanings, cultural codes, and experiences. They are made of bed linen, plaster, and branches found on the Polish-Belarusian border – materials that carry traces of everyday life and domestic comfort, but also of oblivion. These “bodies” are at once objects of care and memory, and symbols of cyclicality: just as a person returns to the earth, so too have these sculptures returned to the natural environment.
by this is an artistic project that explores the theme of migration through the prism of personal and cultural identity. In the work, ornament become metaphors of memory of home, of lost connections, and of attempts to preserve one’s individuality in a new space
The project by and Alexander Yuryev tells the story of Belarusian refugees who found shelter in Odesa between 2020 and 2022 after the protests in Belarus. This work explores the inner transformation and spiritual growth of the diaspora, with the sea serving as a backdrop – a symbol of calm and restoration.
The project by explores the relationship between time, memory, and place through glass negatives and a landscape backdrop depicting villagers photographed between the 1930s and 1950s. The artist continues this work by photographing contemporary residents of the village against the found backdrop. In Cheremushkinskaya Odyssey, the artist becomes a guide between epochs, linking the destinies of people and the events that took place in different historical periods, thereby creating a meaningful journey through time.
The work “ by explores the theme of Belarus’s identity in the global context. The inscription in Gothic script symbolizes the ambiguity of cultural and historical ties, reflecting not only the connection to the native land but also its perception from the outside.
Stereotyping
In new environments, individuals with migratory experience often encounter the stereotyping of the migrant image. Their representations are frequently reduced to clichés – victims, threats, temporary phenomena, or “others.” Such an approach fails to account for the complexity of individual destinies and the diversity of migratory experience. Some artists use their works to challenge these stereotypes, showing the real experiences of migrants – their striving for integration, their struggle for identity, and their contribution to cultural diversity.
Working in the Polish context, in the project proposes an alternative to the stigmatizing term “refugee”, introducing into the lexicon the word “nowaczka” (or “Nowak”). In the Polish language, this word often appears as a surname, presumably once given to newcomers. The author emphasizes its positive associations with novelty and adaptation. Shostak actively promotes this new definition through the media, seeking to make it part of everyday language. The idea is based on shifting perception and approaching language as an important tool for overcoming stigma and creating an inclusive space for migrants.
In the poster , ironically reflects on the stereotypes associated with the image of the migrant. The poster, styled after a political campaign, presents the figure of the “ideal” migrant: “tolerant, peace-loving, hard-working Belarusian.” Staring from the poster is the artist himself, dressed in the guise of a neat and benevolent European. The work raises questions about the imposed expectations and standards faced by migrants, examining their perception as “idealized” or “convenient” figures for society.
In the work , explores the themes of migration, identity, and labor, developing a narrative around a found street photograph. The title refers to an astrological symbol, constructing a fictional persona for the depicted figure. The work interweaves symbols: a sickle, Manzoni’s canned tin, and a fragment of animation bearing the slogan “labor made man out of the ape.” In the background, Marianne Faithfull’s Working Class Hero can be heard. The inscription “foreigners for rent” on the can refers to the artist’s own experience when he took part in the art project Foreigners for Rent during a residency in Switzerland, where artists from different countries spent a month performing low-paid labor, often done by newcomers in a foreign land.
In , explores the vulnerable position of the artist, especially one in emigration, where they find themselves at the periphery of society and culture. Through images of people in a state of homelessness, generated with the help of artificial intelligence, the author shows how the artist in exile loses connection with the material world, turning their practice into an idea deprived of form. The research focuses on marginalization, the loss of cultural context, and the transformation of art into digital code.
Exhibition Practices
The theme of migration in art is becoming increasingly relevant and widely represented, which is reflected in numerous exhibition projects. Particular attention should be paid to exhibitions focusing on the migratory experience in the context of Belarus, reflecting experiences tied to political and social instability. These exhibitions become platforms for profound reflection on complex issues such as the relationship between individuals with migratory experience and systems of power, the understanding of adaptation processes, and the search for a new home and sense of belonging. In this way, exhibition practices help deepen the understanding of migration and the appropriation of processes connected to it, while also presenting new perspectives. Below are some of the exhibitions from recent years.
The exhibition , organized by in 2018 for the XIX Trialogue in Krynki, is part of a long-term research project devoted to Belarusian art abroad. In it, the curator addresses complex questions of migration, identity, and cultural separation, emphasizing the ambivalent position of Belarusian artists after the dissolution of the USSR. The works presented in the exhibition reveal processes of search and self-expression in the conditions of globalization and nationalist tendencies.
, held in , curated by and , explores the experience of building closeness and trust in the context of the loss of “home” – whether geographical, political, or ancestral. The exhibition brought together works, artifacts, and personal relics of 27 artists, friends, and members of the studio community. The project engages with the notion of the chosen family, borrowed from queer culture, where family becomes a space of protection, care, and resistance, independent of blood ties or legal status. This principle is manifested in the objects and gestures of the exhibition: autobiographies, documents, craft practices, photographs, and ready-made objects that intertwine the intimate with the collective.
The exhibition , curated by , examines border territories as spaces of tension and self-awareness where Belarusian identity is formed. The works presented addressed pressing contemporary issues – from the humanitarian crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border and the war in Ukraine to the experience of forced migration and long-standing traumas that continue to resonate today. The exhibition created a field for critical reflection on life at the intersection of cultures, languages, and political systems, where art becomes both a document of experience and a practice of solidarity.
The exhibition , curated by , brought together works by eleven Belarusian artists living in eight different countries. The project, created within the framework of the ARSIF laboratory, explores how identity is formed and transformed under conditions of migration, pressure, and cultural fractures. The exhibition proposes to view Belarusianness as an unfixed, fluid construct – experienced, reassembled, and reinterpreted beyond the homeland. The works presented invite a reconsideration of connections to roots, memory, and possible futures.
The exhibition of Belarusian and Polish artists, curated by the group 4, reflects on the theme of the border in the Białowieża Forest. The curatorial group documents how a 186-kilometer fence was built to contain the influx of refugees, but in doing so harmed the ecosystem and divided both people and animals.
The exhibition , curated by , focuses on the experience of Belarusian artists in exile after the 2020 protests in Belarus. Many of them were forced to leave the country, facing repression and the fear of persecution. The works in the exhibition reflect their personal experiences, exploring questions of identity, state control, and bureaucratic barriers encountered abroad. The title of the exhibition refers to the poetry of Volha Hapeyeva, underscoring the role of art as an act of resistance under conditions of exile.
The condition in which Belarusian individuals with migratory experience find themselves is captured in the exhibition . Curators and Zuzanna Szczepańska turn to the notion of “tuga” – a term denoting anxiety and heaviness of the heart, characteristic of the Belarusian artistic community under conditions of crisis and repression. In the works presented, the artists show how these feelings can be transformed into a force for action, using inner changes to drive the transformation of existing systems.
In the space there were also exhibitions , and , in which Belarusian artists in migration reflected on the experience of living under repressive systems.
The exhibition by , curated by , reflects on home as a structure that is dismantled and reassembled, not only physically but also symbolically. Home becomes a metaphor for a country lost or temporarily inaccessible. The artist’s work immerses the viewer in a state between collapse and potential recovery: a moment when everything has been destroyed, yet it is still possible to press “pause,” to look back, to reconsider. At the center are personal and collective experiences of loss, escape, and forced displacement. Belarus appears here as an example of a space where dictatorship destroys the foundations of coexistence, masking catastrophe with the rhetoric of stability. In this context, “home” emerges simultaneously as a site of trauma and of hope, as emptiness and as the possibility of a new beginning.
The exhibition (organized by ) reflected the migration experience of individuals from Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia through photo and video works addressing themes of labor, integration, and the preservation of identity in a new context.
The solo exhibition by (curated by and ) explores a hypothetical concept of Belarus’s transformation in the context of its inclusion in China’s new Silk Road. Within the exhibition, migration is considered as well as its role as an instrument of global cultural exchange.
The solo photography exhibition by presented individual and group portraits of people from Ukraine with refugee experience, arriving at a shelter in a former state school in the Polish city of Wrocław. The exhibition also reflects on the theme of capturing the space that became a new home.
The solo exhibition of the project by (curated by ).
The exhibition demonstrated the influence of the creative practices of individuals with migratory experience on today’s understanding of Western modernist art. The exhibition featured works by Belarusian artists , , , , , and .
Organizations Working with the Theme of Migration
When moving abroad, people continue their activities in the field of art, engaging with both old and new communities, including diasporas. Around the world, there are initiatives working to improve the situation of people with migratory experience from Belarus.
– an initiative of cultural workers from Belarus – focuses its efforts on supporting and developing connections within and beyond the Belarusian cultural community, fostering collaboration between artists and activists from different branches of culture. The initiative works with several projects: , , , , .
Belarusian spaces abroad also exhibit and promote Belarusian culture and art: in Warsaw, in Vilnius, in Berlin, and in Poznań. The Polish foundation actively invites Belarusians to creative residencies near the Polish-Belarusian border.
The experiences of artists with migratory backgrounds can be followed in the dynamic archive INDEX on the platform. Documentation of the activities of Belarusian cultural workers can be found in the chronicle by Belarusian Artists Abroad.
Transcultural Practices in Migration
In studying migration in art, it is particularly interesting to observe the practices of Belarusian women who direct their activities toward the development and support of heterogeneous communities in the spirit of post-migration. The activity of these organizations often unfolds in a reactive activist-artistic field, demonstrating deep engagement with new contexts that extend beyond the territory of Belarus.
Collective practices of interaction are exemplified by the organization , co-founded by , a neighborhood initiative that for more than ten years has been developing and implementing an interdisciplinary cultural, artistic, and social program for people with and without migratory experience, as well as for refugees of different age groups living in Berlin.
is also the co-founder and director of – an artistic research initiative that promotes collaborative approaches to art production and knowledge exchange through various forms of engagement with people from different fields and institutions.
, with Belarusian co-authors , , , , , , , and , functions as an international coalition of cultural workers against the war in Ukraine, dictatorship, and authoritarianism. The initiative creates a platform for speaking out against war, dictatorship, and authoritarianism, and fosters discussion in a global context. Recently, the platform organized the exhibition , which took place in Kharkiv while simultaneously bringing together partner cultural institutions around the world through Bridges of Solidarity.
is a multidisciplinary political art project dedicated to human rights, women’s rights, and refugee rights. The project produces short films and organizes exhibitions, founded by and .
The artistic, activist, and curatorial collective (, Yulia Krivich, Yurii Belei) works with a community of cultural workers with migratory experience, and publishes the journal , which shares the experiences of artists living abroad in Poland.
is a collective self-organized platform that investigates questions of knowledge production, cooperation, labor, rest, and technology through performative and discursive formats. Founded to enable collective work in art and politics in the post-Soviet context, it includes permanent members , , and , , as well as a shifting group of invited collaborators who create annual events in various locations and formats.
is an exhibition and informational initiative whose mission is to expand transnational interaction and represent alternative dimensions of contemporary art.
It is also worth noting the active work of Belarusian art historians and curators abroad: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
Artist-curators: , , , , , , , , , , .
Migration is a diverse, complex, and nonlinear process that becomes not merely a physical relocation but also a transformation of the inner world of artists, an expression of their identities under new conditions. In the course of emigration, they explore not only themes of deprivation, loss, and searching, but also the power of art as a form of resistance and self-expression. Migration teaches much, strengthens resilience, and enriches with new experiences of life in new contexts. The works of the cultural figures presented in this text are not only a response to political reality but also an important contribution to the global understanding of culture and freedom, where the individual with migratory experience becomes an active creator rather than a passive object of displacement.
This review presents only a part of the phenomenon of the theme of migration in the works and activities of the artistic community of Belarus; there can be many more examples. As the first part — Experience of Migration in Belarusian Art. Part 1. Theory, history and examples of works before 2010 this theme did not appear after 2020, but has a rich history and predispositions. The data presented in this part indicate that the theme of migration is an integral phenomenon of contemporary artistic practices and opens the field for new research.
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