Solo-project online exhibition “Bread” by Olga Stein is an ongoing project that explores the complex relationship between food security, historical trauma, and cultural memory in Ukraine through diverse and unexpected artistic mediums. Was realised first for the group exhibition and is an important outcome of the International Art Residency CARV_23.

Release

This research aims to understand the implications of food accessibility and the effects of genocide on Ukrainian culture and genetics, drawing inspiration from Ukraine’s historical significance as the breadbasket of Europe and recent invasions that highlighted its agricultural resources.

The project delves into the Holodomor, a tragic Ukrainian famine marked by attempted extermination and Stalin’s colonization policies. It examines how the manipulation of food supply can lead to political starvation and control over populations.
Using diverse artistic mediums, the project visually depicts the evolution of grain exports and the challenges posed by the war.

“Olga Stein pays tribute to her Ukrainian heritage as the breadbasket of Europe and recent invasions that highlighted its agricultural resources. For Ukraine, as one of the main grain producers of the world, bread bears multiple cultural meanings and is strictly connected to the national identity of the citizens. Besides, bread constitutes the main element of every nutrition around the world and thus refers to survival, while bearing multiple religious connotations. Influenced by these ideas, Olga Stein creates a series of works that could also be considered a compact and undivided whole.”

— Dimitrios S. Spyrou, The Curator.

Installation views