round table discussion

The round-table discussion, ”Culture as a Means of Regional and Community Development: Challenges and Prospects,” focused on the relevance and the development possibilities of such projects in Ukraine. The moderator of the round table, Olexander Butsenko, expert on cultural issues at the Council of Europe in Ukraine, posed three questions: to what extent are such initiatives necessary in Ukraine? What form should such centres take, and what activity should they be geared towards? In what relationship should they stand to the interests of various groups including the government?

The participants of the round table discussion:

Evgeniy Bystritskiy (International Renaissance Foundation)
Anatoliy Zabalotniy (Rinat Akhmetov’s Development of Ukraine)
Mykola Skyba (National Art Museum of Ukraine)
Yuriy Rybachyuk (Cultural Journalist)
Maksim Ilyashenko (Director of GOGOLFEST)
Pavel Makov (Artist)
Boris Mikhailov (Photographer)
Anastassia Boutsko and Ludmila Garbuz (IZOLYATSIA)

What was said:

“The more of these art-platforms we have, the more will talented Ukrainian artists prefer to get exhibited here, as opposed to looking for opportunities and acknowledgement in other countries; the creation of art-platforms will in turn trigger the proliferation of new talent” (P. Makov). 

“Such initiatives will help the audience who are not used to, and sometimes are not ready for, a confrontation with new art forms” (O. Ostrovskaya). 

“This will provoke a chain reaction in the social development of this city and society in general”
(E. Bystritskiy). 

“Such centres should not only serve as a unifying factor of various interests, but should also coalesce independent organisations” (M. Ilyashenko). 

“IZOLYATSIA will be open to all creative initiatives and ideas; we are not intending to limit ourselves to contemporary visual art” (A. Boutsko). 

“The centre will fill in the existing informational and analytical gap between the contemporary cultural space of Donetsk and Ukraine” (L. Garbuz).