Inspired and passionate about creating a living art space in Lviv, three young people: actor Oleh Oneshchak, scenographer Bohdan Polishchuk, and manager of cultural projects Yulia Hlushko, co-founded the NGO “Scenography Gallery”. Our story began in 2016 with an exhibition by scenic designers Bohdan and Olena Polishchuk. After this “pilot” event, the activity did not stop, gradually gaining momentum and scale.

The main efforts of the first years were directed at the idea of creating a space where exhibitions of scenography would be held with the stated frequency. At that time, the presence of scenography in both the gallery and artistic and informational space could have been more extensive.

At least once every two months, the gallery offered visitors a new exhibition, inviting leading Ukrainian theater artists to collaborate.

Later, the Scenography Gallery received support from the Lviv City Council, which made it possible to gradually improve the conditions for cooperation with artists and raise the level of project implementation.

In the three years of its operation, we have already developed a solid base of contacts with artists across the country and a close-knit and loyal audience. At that 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 implementing several essential projects and focusing on international communication and cooperation.

In 2018, our team founded and first held the International Festival “Lviv Quadrennial of Scenography,” which was held for the second time in 2021 and brought together many Ukrainian and foreign scenographers, costume designers, art historians, theater critics, performers, and other artists. To date, the Scenography Gallery has twice organized the Ukrainian National Pavilion at the Tbilisi Biennale of Scenography (2020, 2021) and participated as a partner in managing the Residence of Ukrainian Scenographers in Georgia 2021. Publishing Publishing projects are another critical area in which the Gallery started working. The first test in this direction was the release of a set of gift cards with sketches by Ukrainian theater artists. And in 2021, a high-quality art album, “Ukrainian Theater Costume of the XX-XXI Centuries. Sketches” was published in partnership with the Museum of Theater, Music, and Cinema of Ukraine and publisher Oleksandr Savchuk. This publication was presented not only in Ukraine but also abroad. It was included in the list of the best art publications of 2021 according to PEN Ukraine, as well as in the list of international publications in the field of scenography, awarded by the organizers of the Prague Quadrennial 2023.

In 2023, the Scenography Gallery is organizing National and Student Pavilions 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 Artists of Georgia, the D. Liter Triennial of Scenography in Kyiv, and the UAscenography Forum.

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 the play “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) became the first completed projects. The second play was created in partnership with the Les Kurbas National Center for Theater Arts of Ukraine, with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. In addition to a series of monthly performances at the Kurbas National Center for Theater Arts, the play was also staged at the State Youth Theater in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Today, the Scenography Gallery focuses on supporting Ukrainian set and costume designers, establishing their professional communication, promoting and popularizing the art of scenography and theatrical costume through the organization of modern educational projects. The Scenography Gallery’s goal today is also to promote Ukrainian culture and art, particularly scenography, theater costume, and theater.

To be continued

It is all just about to start!