Alisa Lozhkina | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 24, 1981 Kyiv, Ukraine |
| Nationality | Ukrainian |
| Occupation(s) | Artist, Art historian, curator, art critic, writer |
| Notable work | The Art of Ukraine (Thames & Hudson, 2024) |
| Website | alisalozhkina |
Alisa Lozhkina is a California-based artist, art historian, curator, critic, and writer, known for her research on modern and contemporary art. She is the author of The Art of Ukraine, published in the World of Art series by Thames & Hudson in 2024. [1]
Lozhkina was born in Kyiv, Ukraine. She began her career as an art critic and curator in Ukraine. From 2010 to 2016, she was editor‑in‑chief of the magazine Art Ukraine . From 2013 to 2017, she served as deputy director and chief curator at Mystetskyi Arsenal, the largest museum and exhibition complex in Kyiv. [2]
In addition to her curatorial and scholarly work, Lozhkina is also a practicing artist. Her website presents a body of work that includes digital art, painting, textile sculptures, and mixed-media projects. [3] Thames & Hudson also notes that "she is also an artist" in their contributor profile. [1]
Since 2020, she has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, USA, combining her artistic practice with international curatorial and critical work. [4]
Lozhkina has curated and co-curated major exhibitions promoting Ukrainian art internationally, including: Permanent Revolution: Ukrainian Art Now at Ludwig Museum, Budapest (2018), nominated for Global Fine Arts Awards. [4] Between Fire and Fire: Contemporary Art from Ukraine at Semperdepot / Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna (2019–2020). [4]
Other notable projects include I Am a Drop in the Ocean: Art of the Ukrainian Revolution and Long Path to Freedom. In 2023 she presented Ukrainian contemporary art at Beaux-Arts de Paris during Week-end de l'Est. [5]
Lozhkina has contributed to international discourse on Ukrainian art through curatorial, critical, and creative means.
She played a key role as part of the curatorial team behind the Pompidou Centre's contemporary Ukrainian art initiative, "Ukraine: Contemporary Donation", described as an international effort involving Ukrainian curators including Lozhkina, Solovyev, and Barshynova. [6] Lozhkina also participated in a related round table at the Kandinsky Library moderated by curators from the Centre Pompidou. [7]
In 2022, Lozhkina debuted her exhibition Beast of War/Bird of Hope—a curatorial response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine—at the Aspen Institute in Colorado. [8] [9] The show traveled the following year to Washington, D.C., where it was presented at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Lozhkina is the author of several key publications on art. Her book The Art of Ukraine was released in 2024 by Thames & Hudson as part of the World of Art series, covering the history of Ukrainian art from the early 20th century to the present. [1]
She also wrote Permanent Revolution: Art in Ukraine, XX to early XXI century, first published in Ukrainian by ArtHuss and later translated into French, with presentations at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. [4]
Lozhkina is also the author of a Ukrainian translation of the ancient Indian poem Devi Mahatmya (The Glory of the Goddess), providing translation, commentary, and illustrations for the edition. The design concept for the publication was created by designer Anna K. [3]
Her April 2022 essay in Texte zur Kunst , "We Are Only Seen When We Die", explores art in wartime and positions Lozhkina as both critic and creator. [10]
In Artnet, her curatorship of "I Am a Drop in the Ocean" at Künstlerhaus Wien is discussed, emphasizing her close engagement with artists active during the Maidan uprising. [11]
Lozhkina has lectured extensively at major academic and cultural institutions including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, MoMA, and others, discussing Ukrainian art, decolonial identity, and cultural resistance. [12]
She published "A Suitcase, a Candle, and a Hammer: Ukrainian Artists Face the Russian Invasion" in the Los Angeles Review of Books, reflecting on the artistic responses to conflict in Ukraine. [13]