Photo credit: Ausstellungsansicht Kunsthaus Zofingen, Rachel Bühlmann. Eva Bigler, Dasha Podoltseva and Elena Orap (from left to right).
The 2025 Summer Window exhibition at Kunsthaus Zofingen featured works of Ukrainian artists Dasha Podoltseva and Elena Orap. The typical Soviet apartment blocks of Ukraine, the so-called panelka buildings (prefabricated buildings), took the center stage. The exhibition was produced by curator Eva Bigler.
Window to the World: Ukraine
26 June – 3 August 2025
Dasha Podoltseva and Elena Orap at Kunsthaus Zofingen
In the Summer Window exhibition at Kunsthaus Zofingen, Ukrainian artists Dasha Podoltseva (graphic designer) and Elena Orap (architect) dedicated themselves to the typical Soviet apartment blocks of Ukraine, the so-called panelka buildings (prefabricated buildings). Since the 1970s, panelka quarters have been built in Kiev and the surrounding area. They are among the most common types of buildings in residential areas. Both artists grew up in such apartment blocks.
Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in 2022 the destruction of the panelka buildings has become a strong symbol of the brutality that the civilian population has to endure. In January 2024, there were almost 250,000 damaged and destroyed buildings, of which 222,000 were private houses, over 27,000 apartment buildings and 526 dormitories. Cities such as Mariupol, Kharkiv or Chernihiv have suffered the greatest destruction. In some cities, it is assumed that 90 percent of the houses were damaged.
Dasha Podoltseva and Elena Orap examined the cultural and historical context of the panelka by showing an ideal image of this architectural form, which emphasizes the beauty and perfection, but at the same time refers to the destruction and horror of war.
www.dashapodoltseva.com
www.elenaorap.com
www.serianumber.com
The exhibition was created in cooperation with the Ukraine Culture Network and residency.ch in Bern.
The Ukraine Culture Network, a non-profit association based in Bern, supports Ukrainian artists and their performances in Switzerland and other Western European countries.
Residency.ch is a non-profit organisation that provides international artists with working and living space at the PROGR Centre for Cultural Production in Bern. Dasha Podoltseva has been invited to the residency in Bern for the exhibition and set-up period at the Kunsthaus Zofingen.
