Cover “From Constructivism to Modernism in Kharkiv – Journal Nr. 70 © Grafik: docomomo international, 2024
DOCOMOMO Journal Release – “From Constructivism to Modernism in Kharkiv”
BHROX bauhaus reuse, Berlin | 15 April 2024
Docomomo International is pleased to announce the presentation, workshop-talk, and vernissage celebrating the publication of the special issue of Docomomo Journal 70 – From Constructivism to Modernism in Kharkiv.
This marks the second Docomomo Journal issue dedicated to Ukrainian architecture, following Docomomo Journal 67: Multiple Modernities in Ukraine.
The event will take place in Berlin on Monday, 15 April 2024, at BHROX bauhaus reuse, with contributions from Docomomo International Chair Uta Pottgiesser and Secretary General Wido Quist, alongside several authors of the Journal. Docomomo Journal 70 is available online.
The program will begin at 15:00 with the presentation and workshop-talk From Constructivism to Modernism in Kharkiv, followed by a feature talk ETOM NEB Lab – Activating Trans-European Modernism and a keynote lecture. At 18:00, the vernissage of the exhibition Modernism in Ukraine – International Competition for Kharkiv Mass Musical Theater (1930) will take place.
Read the article published in the DOCOMOMO Journal No. 70 here.
This exhibition represents Chapter #6 of the series Modernism in Ukraine and is presented in collaboration with DOCOMOMO International, ICOMOS, and ETOM under the initiative “Triennial of Modernism”, developing a platform for knowledge dissemination among major architectural networks. It is authored by Svitlana Smolenska, Professor at Kherson State Agrarian and Economic University and Associate Researcher at Technical University of Berlin and OWL University of Applied Sciences (Volkswagen Foundation Fellow), and curated by Robert K. Huber (BHROX / zkg) and Ben Buschfeld (buschfeld.com).
From the mid-1920s to the early 1930s, Ukrainian architecture was dominated by Constructivism, with Kharkiv as its epicenter. From 1932 to 1955, Socialist Realism emerged under the Stalinist Empire, with Kyiv as the capital. Between December 1919 and January 1934, Kharkiv served as the first capital of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, becoming the cultural, economic, and educational center of the new republic.
The event is organized as part of the NEB-Festival 2024 – Satellite Event in Berlin, in collaboration with BHROX bauhaus reuse, zukunftsgeraeusche GbR, buschfeld.com, and the New European Bauhaus, with the support of the Berlin Chamber of Architects. It represents the first feature of the ETOM NEB Lab, advancing the theme Modernism in Ukraine and contributing to transnational knowledge exchange, public awareness, and discussion on the development of Modernism in Central Europe while addressing contemporary challenges.
The Satellite Event is conducted in cooperation with ETOM NEB Lab coordinating partners, including BHROX bauhaus reuse / zukunftsgeraeusche, The Hungarian Contemporary Architecture Center (KEK), ICOMOS International, National Gallery Prague (NGP), Slovak Design Center (SDC), Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA), and Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE), as an official Lab project of the New European Bauhaus and the ETOM – European Triennial of Modernism initiative.
BHROX bauhaus reuse, located at Berlin’s Ernst-Reuter-Platz, serves as a public transdisciplinary center and urban lab, acting as the physical hub for the ETOM NEB Lab. The event will be held on-site as well as online for all ETOM and Lab partners and international participants.
Docomomo Journal 70 is available online at: Docomomo Journal 70.
The event will be held in a hybrid format, allowing remote participation via Zoom (Meeting ID: 814 8396 3539; Passcode: 241515).
