UP Gallery is proud to present “Activist” featuring the latest video works by our represented artist Danila Tkachenko. In previous solo exhibitions, we have showcased significant photographic series such as “Restricted Areas,” but this time we are excited to invite Tkachenko to our 2F Screening Room with his most recent video works created between 2021 and 2024.

Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukraine war, Tkachenko’s life has undergone drastic changes. While his ongoing artistic practice has always focused on identity and its relationship to the social environment, the war has coerced him to leave his country and relocate to Milan, Italy. Although his core artistic values remain unchanged, his practice has acquired new significance. Concerned with the impact of the war on nations, Tkachenko, as a photographer and visual artist, seeks to leverage his role to effect change. By undertaking activist projects and publicly voicing his concerns, he believes that artists can contribute more to societal issues. Recently, he has expanded his body of work into the realm of video.

We are excited to present five video works in this solo exhibition: “Fireworks”, “Peace to World”, “Screen”, “Room” and “Russia.” In these works, messages are conveyed through direct texts and actions. Colored smoke and fire pervade the scenes, interrupting abandoned sites. The artist hopes to raise awareness of the world we currently inhabit and inspire hope for a better future.

Moreover, in a collaboration with artist Katya Kabalina, there’s “Unstable Borders.” This project involves thirty-seven individuals moving a 300-meter ribbon along the border of the former German regions in the Kaliningrad region of the Russian semi-enclave bordered by the Baltic Sea, Poland, and Lithuania. The iridescent line intrudes upon the natural landscape, distinctly German in appearance, like a visually foreign body that moves within it, evoking cultural intervention and the vanishing of borders.

About 2F Screening Room @ UP Gallery
A new initiative commenced in 2024 through collaboration with LG, designed to accentuate the significance of moving images, videos, and film works. Over the course of the entire year, within an exclusive and intimate space located on the 2nd floor of the gallery, five distinct solo exhibitions featuring artists’ works will coincide with 1st-floor exhibitions focused on photography. The gallery aspires to broaden both temporal and spatial dimensions, providing our audiences with the opportunity to deeply engage with artistic practices that demand extended contemplation and more intimate settings.

*We extend our appreciation to LG for their sponsorship, enabling the impeccable presentation of works through The LG OLED evo 8K 88inch Prestige Series television.