Art in Times of Transformation: Alya Segal on Apartment Galleries, Women's Art, and Archiving During War

Last Friday, the UFDA team launched a new series of public conversations about Ukrainian art, digitization, and self-organized practices. The first guest was art critic, curator, and researcher Alya Segal, whose multifaceted activities reflect current trends in Ukraine's cultural field.

One of the key aspects of the conversation was the phenomenon of apartment exhibitions—a format that has gained particular significance in recent years. Using her own "Kruchi" gallery in her apartment in Podil, Alya shared her experience transforming personal space into an exhibition venue.

"An apartment exhibition is not just a compromise due to limitations, but also a conscious choice," the curator emphasized. This format creates a special sense of space, is based on trust between the artist and curator, and allows for discussions about vulnerable topics that are not always comfortable to bring into formal institutions.

However, such a practice has challenges: communication with neighbors, potential conflicts with property owners, and personal safety concerns. Alya mentioned specific complications, including disputes with neighbors and even attempts by outsiders to gain unauthorized access to the gallery.

A distinctive feature of this format is that the apartment ceases to be merely an art background and becomes a full participant in the expression. This creates a unique dialogue between the works, the space, and visitors—something difficult to achieve in traditional institutional settings.

A significant part of the conversation was dedicated to Alya Segal's participation in the special edition of Secondary Archive—"Women Artists in War," which she curated with Oksana Briukhovetska and Katya Yakovlenko. The project, focused on recording the voices of women artists from Central and Eastern Europe, aimed to document practices that were formed or transformed by the war.

The curatorial team developed precise criteria for selecting participants:

A critical component of the project was media diversity: among the participants were artists working with painting, performance, video art, installation, and documentary. Each formulated her artistic statement—a manifesto explaining her practice, experience, and position in the context of war.

"We began to see lacunae—empty spaces that we're missing. But perhaps this is the task of the next edition—to fill these voids," noted Alya, emphasizing that working on the archive is not just documentation but also a responsibility for the visibility of those who often remain outside the attention of major galleries.

Today, Alya Segal combines several areas of activity: she is pursuing a master's degree in cultural studies at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, participating in the creation of a large contemporary mosaic with Nastia Liliuk, and planning to continue working with the "Kruchi" gallery and the Secondary Archive.

The conversation also touched on the issue of self-organized spaces in various Ukrainian cities. Alya emphasized that despite the common name—"apartment gallery," each project has its audience and unique dynamics. They emerge as a reaction to the lack of institutions and to changing attitudes toward home as a space, especially after the pandemic and the full-scale invasion.

This broadcast was the first in a series of conversations initiated by UFDA. The project focuses on Ukrainian artists, curators, researchers, and specialists working in the field of cultural heritage digitization. The team aims to document and actualize contemporary Ukrainian cultural processes through live conversations.

The recording is available on UFDA's Instagram page if you missed the broadcast. On Fridays, viewers can expect new guests and topics.