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Interdisciplinary design studio
led by Sasha Topolnytska
in New York City
in New York City
Exhibition at the Center for Architecture, NYC, USA
May 2 - September 3, 2024
Curated by Sasha Topolnytska, Ashley Bigham
& Betty Roytburd
Exhibition Design by Sasha Topolnytska & Ashley Bigham
Graphic Design by Aliona Solomadina
Media Coverage: New York Times, Dwell Magazine, Surface Magazine, The Architect’s Newspaper, Interior Design Magazine, Brooklyn Rail
Image Credits: Jenna Bascom, David Ader, Aliona Solomadina
Curatorial, exhibition design, advocacy, and humanitarian work
Constructing Hope: Ukraine presents the work of over a dozen participants currently applying architectural thinking to support Ukraine’s short- and long-term reconstruction efforts. In the face of Russia’s unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine—a war that has destroyed and existentially threatened Ukrainians’ lives, ecology, culture, and infrastructure—these multidisciplinary creatives regain agency over their environment by employing architectural strategies and practices as a form of resistance. Showcasing their work and ideas, Constructing Hope: Ukraine reveals the power of collaboration, horizontal organizing, and knowledge exchange, illuminating architecture’s critical role in building a collective resistance that can generate hope for imperiled communities in Ukraine and beyond.
The first exhibition of this work in the United States, Constructing Hope: Ukraine, focuses on decentralized reconstruction efforts, presenting the work of grassroots initiatives happening inside and outside of Ukraine. The exhibition brings together a wide range of projects—from modular furniture designs and housing for internally displaced individuals to detailed documentation of destroyed buildings and spatial memories—to illustrate how architecture can foster mutual aid and facilitate crucial support networks for entire communities. Constructing Hope: Ukraine presents these resourceful initiatives to demonstrate how, even during wartime destruction, these actions provide the hope necessary to move forward.
“ In the third year of this epochal war — which has destroyed some 210,000 buildings, according to a recent New York Times investigation — Russian forces continue to target civilian habitations in contravention of international law. When the city is a battleground, architecture becomes an act of defense and defiance. — The New York Times