Kharkiv Art Institutions in the period from the 1990s to 2020s.

Abstract

. Kharkiv is one of the largest art centers in Ukraine. It has always had its own peculiarities. Traditions of avant-garde, constructivism, later underground, the phenomenon of Kharkiv photography, a strong school of design, etc., have determined the development of artistic thought and artistic environment of the city over the past century. After the collapse of the Soviet system, Kharkiv witnessed the transformation of the art system: the development of a new type of art infrastructure, the emergence of a number of art associations and gallery spaces. Over the following decades, new generations of artists appeared on the stage, various initiatives emerged, and the needs of the art community changed, prompting the emergence of new institutions. Their activity and influence on the professional environment are an important part of the history of contemporary art in Kharkiv. The article considers the features of the first private galleries that emerged in the early 1990s, which conditionally can be divided into commercial and non-commercial ones. This convention was caused by the state of the newly emerging art market. The study also investigates which institutions had an impact on the artistic environment in the following decades, and especially those institutions that remained active for a long time with consistent project activity (Municipal Gallery, YermilovCenter, etc.). The contribution of a number of online information platforms, which, by covering art events, help art to be more visible in the context of modern urban culture is also analyzed. Thus, the present article is an attempt to illustrate the dynamics of artistic life in Kharkiv over the past three decades through the prism of art institutions. After all, they did not exist separately, were not a parallel phenomenon, but served as a bridge that united the artist and his works with the audience. In addition, it is important to outline the challenges that exist today and to understand what can be an obstacle in the way of active development of both the institutional and modern artistic environment of Kharkiv.