Nikita Kadan, “Artist in a Time of War”
After « Letter from the front », a programme of filmic works and moving images by contemporary artists from Ukraine which he curated in 2022 with Giulia Colletti in the Castello di Rivoli, Nikita Kadan has realized a new commission especially for Castello di Rivoli’s new exhibition Artists in a Time of War, including loans from important Italian and international public and private institutions.
The exhibition features art of the past and present, including Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes’ Desastres de la Guerra (Disasters of War), 1810-1815, and develops the theme of war and post-traumatic subjectivity through historical works and new projects by leading contemporary artists. The itinerary highlights the practices of Omarzad, artist and key figure of the Afghan cultural scene, who found asylum in Italy and Germany, and Kadan, an artist who lives between Kiev and Bucha. Both artists offer a message of great emotional and human, as well as social and political impact. Originating from war-torn countries and scenes of profound geopolitical turmoil, they reflect on the importance of finding narratives of care and peace through creative expression.