Sergey Bratkov: Fuck a Star (1989)

Sergey Bratkov is a fellow of Bublitz 2024
Partnership with the curator Eleonora Frolov

 

Dear Readers,

As a critic of the regime, political artist and Ukrainian, Sergey Bratkov is not the first and will certainly not be the last to be forced to leave Russia's chosen path:

The fate of Bratkov and thousands of other dissidents and intellectuals could also have taken place in the Stalin era with its devastating repressions, and even today, opponents of the war and all dissenters are in the crosshairs. The power of the Kremlin reaches far into Europe with its abhorrent harshness and brutality. Would Bratkov ever have imagined that his life's journey would lead him to Germany? After all, back in 1995, together with the Fast Reaction Group, he explored the atrocities committed by German soldiers during the Second World War in the exhibition "If I Were a German?".

Sergey Bratkov: “Endless War” Video Still (2010)

Almost 30 years later, after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Bratkov came to Germany supported by the Artist at Risk organisation, which helps artists whose freedom and lives are at risk. The Berlin Senate also honoured Bratkov as a Fellow Weltoffenes Berlin with a grant for 2024 to establish his artistic position and voice in his new home.

Bublitz organises the fellowship; Bratkov will be supported by the artistic directors Eleonora Frolov and JMH Schindele during this period. Bublitz is a project partner of the Senate for the second time, following its collaboration with Iranian musician and composer Elshan Ghasimi in 2022.

Sergey Bratkov, courtesy of the artist (2017)

Link to the exhibition 'Heldenzeiten' by Sergey Bratkov at the Deichtorhallen in Hamburg.

Bratkov, who represented Ukraine at the Venice Biennale in 2007, taught as a professor at the Rodchenko Art School for over two decades and educated two generations of young talent from all over Eastern Europe. As a representative of the Kharkiv School of Photography, his work can currently be seen in the exhibition Ukrainian Dreamers at the Kommunale Galerie Berlin. The Kunstmuseum Magdeburg is dedicating a solo exhibition to his work in the summer of 2024; future exhibitions are also being developed in collaboration with Bublitz.

Even though Sergey Bratkov had to leave his artistic homeland, he was spared the cruel fate of many other critical voices. Thanks to the support of friends, the Berlin Senate, and Bublitz, Bratkov can now continue to develop his unique visual language safely here in exile.

The thematic extension and focus on Eastern Europe result from the new partnership with curator Eleonora Frolov. She specialised in positions from Central and Eastern Europe and their working methods, which are characterised by deep traces of the former Eastern Bloc. As artistic directors of Bublitz, Frolov and JMH Schindele will jointly curate the program in the future.

Please get in touch with us here for interview requests, studio visits, and further information.

Sincerely,

Eleonora Frolov & JMH Schindele

Sergey Bratkov: “Mona Bucha” from the series “Lost“ (2022)

Partner of the fellowship Weltoffenes Berlin: