Several elements support and rely on each other without external support, a foundation, or a center. Together, they form a mutually supportive spatial structure—light, transparent, non-hierarchical, and capable of withstanding heavy loads. It might resemble either a honeycomb or an interweaving of branches when you look up while walking through the forest. At the same time, it is fragile and delicate. Take away just one of these elements, and the whole structure instantly crumbles.
What is known in architecture as a reciprocal structure was intuitively and painfully rediscovered by Ukrainian society in 2014 and with renewed vigor after February 2022. This reciprocity manifested as a long-lasting gesture of giving and support that sustains life and resists destruction, a fragile and vulnerable connection between people when the common strength rests on each individual. This relationship embodies great trust in each other, the symmetry of balanced movement, and a complex multi-level network.
Such a social reciprocal structure is both quite utopian and absolutely real. It emerges through a daily process of collectively defending a democratic society of equality and mutual support, a society that can rely on itself (and sometimes only on itself) in times of extreme threat. This is the daily reality of mutual aid and support in Ukraine during the great war. It is a daily struggle and inquiry for the future.
The exhibition Structures of Reciprocity offers a shared process for exploring and experiencing different aspects of social interaction in times of great trauma and upheaval. Drawing on the architecture of the Jam Factory Art Center, the exhibition invites you to two spaces. One is the Space of the Past—the basement—where artists will share stories from Ukraine and other countries and continents: images of remembering and forgetting, loss and recovery, and reclaiming their own voices and histories. The other one is the Space of the Present—on the main exhibition floor—where a series of interactions, conversations, and co-creations will take place throughout the exhibition period, within a structure created by architect and artist Oleksandr Burlaka, based on the principle of structural reciprocity. Supported by various artists, different groups of visitors will weave new meanings, objects, forms, and connections from their own war stories, live through losses, and seek healing. Together, this diverse Past and a fluid, moving, mutually supportive, and co-creative Present will attempt to outline the contours of a possible and desired Future.
Curatorial team: Kateryna Botanova, Ilona Demchenko, Ksenia Malykh
Project architect: Oleksandr Burlaka
