Art-writing Course
Program mentor: Kostiantyn Doroshenko
Format: Online meetings and group exhibition visits in Kyiv*
Application deadline: September 13
Participation: Free of charge
We invite you to join “Art Writing: How to Write About Art” — a program for those who already write and want to develop their skills, or who aspire to make writing about art an integral part of their professional practice.
The program combines group discussions, regular writing practice, work with different forms of text, and collective observation and analysis of art through exhibition visits. It is also an opportunity to join a community where participants can explore together questions about how and why we write about art, what makes a text compelling, how to find the right form for our ideas, and how to receive support and feedback throughout the process.
A dedicated part of the program will focus on developing an individual text with the support of a mentor. Selected final texts will be considered for publication in partner media outlets, including the Harper’s Bazaar Ukraine website.
Participation is free of charge. 15 participants will be selected for the program.
You do not need to be an established writer to apply. At the same time, it is important to have not only an interest in writing but also some writing experience: completed texts or attempts to write about art or other topics, even if they have not yet been published. The selection process will also consider applicants’ interest in art, willingness to explore different ways of speaking about it, ability to develop their own ideas, and motivation to continue developing their individual writing practice.
Applications are open until September 13 (11:59 p.m.). The results of the selection will be announced by September 18.
Course Format and Duration
The program will run from September 25 through the end of December.
Online meetings will take place 1–2 times a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays at 6:30 p.m. Each meeting will last 1.5–2 hours. The program will also include several group visits to exhibitions in Kyiv.
Course language: Ukrainian.
* If you are based in another city, this will not prevent you from participating. An alternative format for this part of the program will be available if needed.
The Program Consists of Four Modules
- Analysis of Texts and Writing Approaches / Kostiantyn Doroshenko
Reading and discussing different forms of writing about art: what kinds of texts we want to read and write, what they can be, and what and how they communicate. From first impressions to an analysis of the techniques that make a text compelling, expressive, or memorable. - Experiments with Form / Lyubko Deresh
Short writing and stylistic exercises. Working with different forms and approaches to writing, as well as perspective, structure, style, and tone of voice. - Art, Interpretation, and an Individual Perspective / Oleksandra Pogrebnyak and Kostiantyn Doroshenko
Group exhibition visits and discussions of artworks, developing a critical perspective with curator Oleksandra Pohrebniak. Participants will write short texts based on the visits and receive feedback from Kostiantyn Doroshenko. - Developing an Individual Text / Kostiantyn Doroshenko
Choosing a topic, developing an idea, working with structure, language, and argumentation, editing, and preparing the final version with the support of the mentor.
Program Mentor
Kostiantyn Doroshenko — contemporary art critic and curator, invited expert at the PinchukArtCentre Research Platform, columnist for Radio France Internationale, and Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Užupis among art critics worldwide.
Guest Contributors
- Lyubko Deresh (Liubomyr Deresh) — Ukrainian writer, creative writing instructor, and mentor.
- Oleksandra Pogrebnyak — curator at PinchukArtCentre.
- Iryna Tatarenko — Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar Ukraine.
- Björn Geldhof — curator and Artistic Director of PinchukArtCentre.
Media partner: Harper’s Bazaar Ukraine
