On 1 May, the US artist Barbara Kruger will unveil a new work emblazoned across a Ukrainian passenger train.
The new typographic piece, entitled Untitled (Another Again), will cover a Ukrainian Railways Intercity train, which will take its maiden voyage next month from Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi to Darnytsia Station on the city outskirts. The planned route will take the work across the country, stopping at stations including Lviv, Kharkiv, Kramatorsk, Poltava, Vinnytsia and Khmelnytskyi.
Maria Isserlis, a curator and art historian based in Berlin and Dresden, is curating the Kruger project. She tells The Art Newspaper that the initiative was inspired by Vasyl Yermylov’s agit-trains of the 1920s which bore revolutionary slogans and spread a Soviet-era propaganda message across parts of rural Ukraine.
“The work will be written in Ukrainian. It's not going to be in English so people can actually read the message and understand it. It's not going to be an alien thing; this was important for Kruger. The train is a symbol of solidarity for her,” says Isserlis.
Kruger is known for her bold, provocative text pieces that tap into contemporary concerns, inviting viewers and passers-by to pause, think and reevaluate the world around them.
Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, the chief executive of Ukrainian Railways, says in a statement: “Ukrainian Railways is excited to work with one of the world's most renowned artists to bring the message of solidarity to Ukrainians as well as the message of our country's resilience to the world. Throughout the full-scale war we have become far more than just public transport and constantly seek new creative ways to make an impact.”
The new graphic installation, on display from 1 May to 14 July, was commissioned by the non-profit cultural organisation RIBBON International in collaboration with Ukrainian Railways. Contextual information about Kruger’s work will be shown on the train and at some stations.
Kruger’s newly commissioned text, Untitled (Another Again), reads:
ЩЕ ОДИН ДЕНЬ ЩЕ ОДНА НІЧ ЩЕ ОДНА ТЕМІНЬ ЩЕ ОДНЕ ЗАРЕВО ЩЕ ОДИН ЦІЛУНОК ЩЕ ОДИН БІЙ ЩЕ ОДНА ВТРАТА ЩЕ ОДИН ЗДОБУТОК ЩЕ ОДНЕ БАЖАННЯ ЩЕ ОДИН ГРІХ ЩЕ ОДНА ПОСМІШКА ЩЕ ОДНА СЛЬОЗА ЩЕ ОДНА НАДІЯ ЩЕ ОДИН СТРАХ ЩЕ ОДНА ЛЮБОВ ЩЕ ОДИН РІК ЩЕ ОДНА СУПЕРЕЧКА ЩЕ ОДНЕ ЖИТТЯ
ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER NIGHT ANOTHER DARKNESS ANOTHER LIGHT ANOTHER KISS ANOTHER FIGHT ANOTHER LOSS ANOTHER WIN ANOTHER WISH ANOTHER SIN ANOTHER SMILE ANOTHER TEAR ANOTHER HOPE ANOTHER FEAR ANOTHER LOVE ANOTHER YEAR ANOTHER STRIFE ANOTHER LIFE