New acquisition: Comfort Work by Andrii Dostliev and Lia Dostlieva

Comfort Work was commissioned for the Ukrainian National Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition — La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Viktoria Bavykina and Max Gorbatskyi. In the video installation, ten actors from the EU and the UK are hired to perform in front of the camera the roles of those types of Ukrainian refugees, which are preferred by various communities in their own countries.

Andrii Dostliev and Lia Dostlieva expand on the creation of the work in the artist statement:

“In preparation, we conducted numerous interviews with Ukrainian refugees in European countries about their experiences and contacts with host societies, what behaviour, look, and social status were expected from them, and what people were reluctant to see. These interviews resulted in 10 stereotypical portraits of Ukrainians who meet the (often ridiculous or dehumanising) expectations of various groups of European spectators. Furthermore, some respondents have been invited to coordinate and help improve actors’ performances. The videos were specifically created with a European viewer in mind who might be comforted by seeing a selection of what has been determined to be comfortable refugees.”

Art Friends Merseyside awarded the full grant of £3,500 to acquire ‘Comfort Work’.  Chair of Art Friends Merseyside, Peter Woods, said:

“Art Friends Merseyside are excited to be in a position to fund, for the first time, the acquisition of a piece of art. What drew the Grant Sub-Committee to this powerful and important film is the challenge that it presents to viewers about our expectations of and preconceptions about refugees. The links between Liverpool and Ukraine are strong and Art Friends Merseyside are thrilled to be part of a project which will reinforce those bonds. That the work will reach a wide audience through its touring programme was a further plus. Thank you Open Eye Gallery and, of course, artists Andrii Dostliev and Lia Dostlieva for giving us this opportunity.”

Max Gorbatskyi, Open Eye Gallery Curator said:

“Open Eye Gallery is very fortunate to be able to acquire this significant work at this moment in European history. I was privileged to work with Andrii and Lia as they developed the work, and to witness the making of one film directed by Ukrainian displaced people in our gallery here in Liverpool. The positive reception of the installation in Venice confirmed both the ability of the work to empower understanding and an overwhelming solidarity with the people of Ukraine. I’m very grateful to Art Friends of Merseyside for their invaluable support.”

Andrii Dostliev is a Ukrainian-Polish artist, curator, and photography researcher. Andrii’s primary areas of interest are memory, trauma, decolonial practices in Eastern Europe, gay history of Ukraine, and the limits of photography as a medium. Andrii’s art practice works across photography, video, drawing, performance, and installation. Former visiting fellow at Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen (Vienna) and artist-in-residence at Central European University (Budapest) and Akademie der Künste (Berlin). Participant of the Ukrainian National Pavillion at Venice Biennale 2024.

Lia Dostlieva is an artist, cultural anthropologist, essayist. Her art and research practice engaged with the issues of collective trauma, Anthropocene, decolonial stories, and agency and visibility of vulnerable groups. As an artist, she works across a wide range of media including photography, installations, textile sculptures, etc.

Art Friends Merseyside is a registered charity to encourage the arts on Merseyside and support local galleries, museums and other art institutions. 

Art Friends Merseyside was formed in 2019 following the dissolution of the Art Fund’s regional committees, registering as a Charity in 2020. Since 2021 the charity has provided over £60,000 worth of grants to support a total of 27 projects across 14 organisations.