
History
The Scenography Gallery is an art gallery dedicated to scenography, the art of theatrical space and costume. We were established in 2017, and since then we have been functioning as an organisational and communication platform for Ukrainian artists. The gallery focuses on the art of scenography and theatre costume.
Founders and start-up

The history of the first Scenography Gallery in Ukraine began in 2016, when Oleh Oneshchak (actor of the Les Kurbas Lviv Academic Theater, director, teacher) and Yulia Glushko (cultural projects manager) initiated the creation of the NGO Children's Center for Contemporary Art AGOV, an art space where they worked with children and practiced theater. Developing and directing the activities of the art center to a wider range of visitors, in September 2016, the first scenographic exhibition of Bohdan and Olena Polishchuk (artists, stage designers, costume designers) was organized in the AGOV space. This event attracted the attention of a wide range of people and became the impetus for the reorganization of the space. Inspired and passionate about the idea of creating a living art space in Lviv, three young people: actor Oleh Oneshchak, set designer Bohdan Polishchuk, and cultural project manager Yulia Glushko, co-founded the public organization Scenography Gallery. The main idea behind the creation of the Gallery of Scenography was to showcase the work of artists who work with and create scenography and costumes for theater performances. “In contemporary art galleries or museums, scenography is rarely represented. We wanted to create such a place,” the organizers say.
Art gallery
In its first period, the Scenography Gallery really functioned as an art gallery in the premises of the Lesi Theater at the address of Lviv, str. Horodotska 36. The main efforts of the first years were directed at the idea of creating a space in which scenography exhibitions would always take place with the stated frequency. After all, at that time the presence of the art of scenography both in the gallery and in the art and information space was minimal.
At least once every two months, the gallery offered visitors a new exhibition, inviting the leading artists of the Ukrainian theater to cooperate.
Subsequently, the Scenography Gallery received the support of the Lviv City Council, which made it possible to gradually improve the conditions of cooperation with artists and raise the level of project implementation.
Artistic platform



Over time, the Gallery began to transform into a real platform that was no longer limited to exhibition projects. Over the three years of its operation, the gallery has already developed a solid base of contacts with artists across the country and a close-knit and loyal audience. At the time, our team was looking for different directions and formats: lectures, conversations with art historians and scenography researchers, readings of contemporary drama, and master classes by scenographers. The geography of artists represented in the gallery has also expanded significantly.
The next stage of development is associated with the implementation of several important projects and a focus on international communication and cooperation.
In 2023, the Scenography Gallery is the organizer of the National Pavilion at the landmark international event - the Prague Quadrennial of Scenography. The projects of the Scenography Gallery have been repeatedly supported by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation and partner institutions, such as the aforementioned Museum of Theater, Music and Cinema of Ukraine, state and national theaters and museums of Ukraine, the Union of Young Theater Workers of Georgia, the D. Liter Triennial of Scenography in Kyiv, and the UAscenography Forum. In December, the project “Art in Time of War: A Traveling Residence” project was implemented in December together with Ukrainian and European partners. The project was funded from the Stabilization Fund for Culture and Education 2023 by the German Federal Foreign Office and the Goethe-Institut. The residency brought together artists, researchers, scholars, and museum workers from Ukraine, Georgia, the UK, Poland, and Lithuania for cultural exchange, communication, and long-term partnership.
In 2024, with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, we are implementing the project “Ukrainian Theater Costume of the XX-XXI Centuries”.
Performances and exhibitions
The Scenography Gallery also started organising and producing performances and plays. The first successfully implemented projects were performances: "Interview with a Friend" by A. Bondarenko, directed by O. Oneshchak, set designer V. Stetskovych, which was shown for a long time in Lviv, and "A Girl from Hiroshima Who Is Afraid of Thunder" based on the play by Hisashi Inoue, directed and set designer Bohdan Polishchuk, composed by Yana Shlyabanska. The play was created in partnership with the Les Kurbas National Centre for Theatre Arts of Ukraine, with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. In addition to a series of monthly performances on the stage of the National Kurbas Theatre, the play was also shown at the State Youth Theatre in Vilnius (Lithuania).
Everything is just beginning!
Today, the Scenography Gallery focuses on supporting Ukrainian set and costume designers, establishing their professional communication, promoting and popularising the art of scenography and theatre costume through the organisation of contemporary educational projects. The Scenography Gallery's goal today is also to promote Ukrainian culture and art, in particular scenography, theatre costume, and theatre. Formation of a positive image of Ukraine as an original and powerful participant in European cultural processes.
To be continued
Everything is just beginning