Fragile Brutalism by SERIA_× Crossing Kyiv
May 15–25, 2025Espace Diorama – Rue du Diorama 16 – 1204 Geneva

On the occasion of La Nuit des Bains, on May 15, 2025, in Geneva, the association NOMAD presents at Espace Diorama the installation Fragile Brutalism by SERIA_, created by architect, researcher, and artist Elena Orap, and artist Dasha Podoltseva.
This initiative is the result of a collaboration between NOMADand design curator Anastasiia Biletska. It is part of a larger project: Crossing Kyiv, which also includes a forthcoming publication dedicated to contemporary Ukrainian culture, scheduled for release in fall 2025. In this moment of great complexity, Crossing Kyiv offers a space for reflection on a Ukrainian identity intransformation, while highlighting the vitality of its current cultural scene.The exhibition revolves around SERIA_, a graphic project inspired by Soviet-era residential buildings where most Ukrainians grew up. Nicknamed "Panelkis," these buildings, ubiquitous in Kyiv, are a key component of the country's urban identity. With Fragile Brutalism, the artists rehabilitate this often-overlooked heritage, emphasizing its architectural and emotional value. Viewed through the lens of the current conflict, the project takes on new layers of meaning, evoking the vulnerability of these structures and exploring themes of sharedheritage, displacement, “home,” and loss.
From May 15 to 17, a program of cultural activities offered, open to all: discussions with architect Elena Orap, Crossing Kyiv editor Dominique Signoroni, curator Anastasiia Biletska, and Swiss documentary photographer Niels Ackermann, a longtime expert on Ukraine, as well as Christine Batruch(Hawrylyshyn), president of the Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Family Foundation (Kyiv).

Short films screening program:
• Tsvetayeva and Mayakovsky (Streets), 27’, 2016, Ukraine by Polina Moshenska • Enter Through The Balcony, 26’, 2020, Ukraine by Roman Blazhan , Minimal Movie • What Shall We Do With These Buildings? (2022) | The legacy of Soviet architecture in Kharkiv, 28’, 2021, Ukraine, Jonathan Benshaul , Moving House Films
This initiative is the result of a collaboration between NOMAD Dominique Kuroyanagi and independent design curator Anastasiia Biletska. It is part of a larger project: Crossing Kyiv*, which also includes a forthcoming publication dedicated to contemporary Ukrainian culture, scheduled for release in fall 2025. 
*CROSSING KYIV is a collaboration with the cultural association Designforukraine and is supported by the Canada-Ukraine Foundation. A teaser presented at the Zurich design weeks x Kyiv design week in September 2023.

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