The Ukrainian House in Denmark is presenting the exhibition “Uncurtained: Ukrainian Art in Danish Collections 1989–2023”, opening on 21 August 2025 in Copenhagen. This landmark project systematically explores and showcases the history of cultural ties between Denmark and Ukraine through the lens of visual art. Curator of the exhibition and of the Ukrainian House in Denmark, Kateryna Stukalova, spent more than two years collecting research material, drawing on her deep knowledge of the Ukrainian art processes of the 1990s. This enabled her to highlight over 30 years of artistic dialogue between Ukraine and Denmark — long before Russia’s full-scale invasion.
In February 2023, Denmark’s Ministry of Culture handed over the premises of the former Gammel Dok Architecture Centre in central Copenhagen to the Ukrainian House. This gesture marked an unprecedented act of political and cultural support for Ukraine from Denmark. In just three years, the Ukrainian House has hosted 10 exhibitions dedicated to contemporary Ukrainian art, architecture, design, and photography. Uncurtained is its eleventh and most significant exhibition, offering a deep understanding of the origins of cultural solidarity between Ukraine and Denmark.
“Our eleventh exhibition, Uncurtained: Ukrainian Art in Danish Collections 1989–2023, is both a gesture of gratitude and an act of reflection. It expresses thanks to Danish curators, collectors, and institutions that believed in Ukrainian art long before the world truly understood what was at stake. The exhibition unfolds decades of cultural dialogue that predate today’s political partnership between Denmark and Ukraine. At the Ukrainian House, we are convinced that cultural exchange is not a luxury but the strongest foundation of shared security. Uncurtained declares that Denmark’s investments in Ukraine did not begin with weapons or political support, but quietly — with trust in Ukrainian creativity. Thus, art itself became the starting point of Denmark’s model of solidarity. For Ukrainian audiences, this exhibition is a vital act of self-discovery. It documents the emergence of Ukraine’s artistic voice after independence and asserts the autonomy of our culture, too often overshadowed by imperial narratives. For Danish audiences, Uncurtained is a rare chance to fill a gap in collective memory: to decolonize their perceptions and to see Ukrainian art not as exotic ‘neighboring’ culture but as an integral part of Europe’s cultural landscape. This is not only a story of solidarity; it is the recognition of a shared heritage,” said Nataliya Popovych, Head of the Ukrainian House in Denmark.
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The exhibition title Uncurtained refers to the fall of the “Iron Curtain” in 1989 — a moment that opened new channels of cultural dialogue between East and West. It also symbolizes how works that spent decades in private collections now emerge in the public sphere, enriching and expanding the history of Ukrainian art. Uncurtained also alludes to the West’s repeated rediscovery of Ukraine — at the fall of the USSR, after the Revolution of Dignity, and amid Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
“Through the prism of visual art, the exhibition traces the history of Europe’s geopolitical shifts over recent decades, outlining Ukraine’s important place in the continent’s cultural and political landscape. It challenges biased narratives that have long dominated Ukrainian art history and are still not always critically examined. These narratives disproportionately emphasized the influence of Moscow’s institutions on Ukrainian art of the late 1980s, while the role of decentralized artistic cooperation — particularly in the Baltic and Northern European contexts — was marginalized or ignored. The exhibition seeks to restore fair historical interpretations and to highlight the less intense but important and underexplored cultural dialogue between Denmark and Ukraine in the 2000s–2010s,” emphasized Kateryna Stukalova.
Uncurtained will feature works by some of Ukraine’s most influential artists, including Pavlo Makov — participant of the 59th Venice Biennale (2022), laureate of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize, and member of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers in the UK. His works are held in collections such as the National Gallery of Art (Washington), the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), and Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza (Madrid). As early as the 1990s, Makov established professional ties with Denmark, notably with Fyns Grafiske Værksted in Odense, where he created a number of key graphic works. Today, he continues his artistic practice in frontline Kharkiv.
Another key figure of the exhibition is Sergiy Sviatchenko — a Ukrainian artist who has lived and worked in Viborg since 1990. His works have become part of Denmark’s contemporary cultural landscape, and he is renowned for his innovative approach to abstract collage and visual architecture. His art is represented in numerous public and private collections throughout Denmark. In 2024, together with Yehor Zigura, he created the sculpture Hope for the sculpture park of KunstCentret Silkeborg Bad. His name has become one of the symbols of the long and fruitful cultural dialogue between Ukraine and Denmark.
The exhibition also features works by designer Oleksiy Iskos, a native of Kharkiv who has long lived in Copenhagen. He has collaborated with such renowned Scandinavian brands as Muuto, Hay, and Normann Copenhagen. In 2023, in collaboration with the Ukrainian company ZAVOD, he created the clock REAL TIME, which was presented at the exhibition Material Resistance: Ukrainian Design in Action at the Ukrainian House in Denmark during the 3daysofdesign 2025 festival.
Among other participants of Uncurtained are Valentyn Raievsky, Valentyn Khrushch, the Martynchyk family, Yurii Solomko, Yurii Leiderman, Oleh Tistol, Maryna Skugareva, Yana Bystrova, Oleksandr Lutskevych, Yevhen Prokopov, Yuliia Belyaeva, Mariia Kulykovska, Mykyta Shalennyi, Olena Subach and Viacheslav Poliakov, Julie Poly, Sasha Maslov, Yevgen Nikiforov, Kinder Album, Liusia Ivanova, Kateryna Svirgunenko, Iryna Hvozdyk, Anastasiia Nesterova, Nelli Isupova, and Yanina Myronova. They represent different generations of Ukrainian art and a wide range of media: from painting and sculpture to photography and virtual reality.
The works for the exhibition have been provided by public, corporate, and private collections, including: Design Museum, KunstCentret Silkeborg Bad, Odense Kommune, Fyns Grafiske Værksted, Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center, Jyske Bank, Henrik Nielsen, Jens and Masha Faurschou, Sergei Sviatchenko, Maria Rytter, Ulla Lundberg, Villy Petersen, Per Nørhaven, Lis Janstrup and Jens Gregersen, Jørn Jacobsen, Jesper Blædsild, and Helena Tomasson.
A printed catalogue will accompany the exhibition, containing unique materials collected from archives in Ukraine and Denmark.
The exhibition will run to 23 November 2025 at the Ukrainian House in Denmark, Gammel Dok, Strandgade 27B, 1401 Copenhagen.
