To exploud, be destroyed or unexpectedly resist

Abstract

Adrien Sina is a French arts curator, architect, dance and performance art historian. In his cross-disciplinary exhibition Feminine Futures: Ukraine, part of the series War | Oppression | Dystopia Mr Sina aims to provide a platform for Ukrainian dancers to speak out about the war with Russia. He achieves this by showcasing never-before-seen short films in which artists strive to create dialogue between their own bodies and architectural pieces, which results in the emotional reflection on the bloody present, anticipation of future devastating tragedies but also the highest expression of love and togetherness. The project is a living and growing body of works, with Adrien Sina working to expand the network of choreographers and filmmakers who direct their creative efforts towards similar goals. This results in brand new works being born from new collaborations, the nonconformity which fulfils the goal of the curator, as the constant search for new talents, whose work is yet to be discovered due to the hardships of being a woman or, in this case, a Ukrainian, in history is opposed to canon and hegemony of classical art. In this conversation, Adrien Sina discusses performance arts as a compelling tool for the representation of war, his choice to prioritise conceptual core of the exhibition over limiting it to a single art form or discipline, as well as the meaning of body and history in his exhibition. Additionally, the curator talks about War Crime Memorial, an installation presented at Venice Biennale next to the Russian pavilion as a poignant protest against the aggression of the invader-country. A companion piece to Feminine Futures: Ukraine, War Crime Memorial, similarly to its accompanying work, creates tension between architecture and female voice but does so in the form of a temporary scripture. Eugenia Sydorenko conducted and recorded a conversation with Adrien Sina in 2023, having attended the presentation and screening of Feminine Futures: Ukraine in Summerhall, Edinburgh.

Keywords

• dance
• architecture
• experimental film
• Russo-Ukrainian War
• Adrien Sina