POSTER REX IN KYIV

IN SUMMER 2017, LARS HARMSEN AND MARKUS LANGE WENT ON TOUR AND PRINTED SILKSCREEN POSTERS WITH ARTISTS FROM POLAND, WORKING WITH LOCAL ARTISTS IN ATHENS, ISTANBUL, MOSCOW, AND KYIV. IN KYIV, THEY PRINTED IN THE IZONE WORKSHOP TOGETHER WITH OLGA TERESHCHENKO, JAKUB STEPIEŃ, AND ANTON BUKOROS. THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR HAS BEEN ONGOING BETWEEN RUSSIA (ALONGSIDE RUSSIAN SEPARATISTS IN UKRAINE) AND UKRAINE SINCE FEBRUARY 2014. RUSSIA ANNEXED CRIMEA FROM UKRAINE AND SUPPORTED PRO-RUSSIAN SEPARATISTS IN THE WAR IN DONBAS AGAINST UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT FORCES. IN FEBRUARY 2022, RUSSIA OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED THE DONETSK PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC AND THE LUHANSK PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC AS INDEPENDENT STATES. PUTIN ANNOUNCED A “SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION” IN UKRAINE, MARKING THE START OF A FULL-SCALE INVASION OF UKRAINE. TODAY, THE POSTERS FROM 2017 HAVE AN EVEN MORE EXPLOSIVE MEANING AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF RECENT EVENTS.

POSTER REX WAS FOUNDED IN 2014 BY THE GRAPHIC DESIGNERS LARS HARMSEN (MUNICH) AND MARKUS LANGE (CAIRO). FOR EACH SESSION, THEY INVITE AN ARTIST TO CREATE UNIQUE POSTERS, PRODUCED IN DIFFERENT SILKSCREEN WORKSHOPS AROUND THE GLOBE. ALL POSTERS ARE SILKSCREEN PRINTED BY HAND OR WITH OTHER DIGITAL OR ANALOG TECHNIQUES. EACH SESSION HAS ITS OWN TOPIC. POSTER REX ALSO OFFERS WORKSHOPS FOR STUDENTS. BY NOW, THE COLLECTION COUNTS OVER 2,000 UNIQUE POSTERS.

Olga Tereshchenko

Where are you living right now? Did you have to leave your home because of the war?

OA No, I haven’t left my home because of the war, I am still in Kyiv. My husband is here, so I stayed with him.

What role does social media play since the war broke out in Ukraine? To what extent has the use of these tools changed for you?

OA In my opinion, social media is an easy way to share information and connect with people, helping and staying together even if you are in different parts of the world. I understand the importance now, especially in times of Coronavirus and the war in Ukraine. Now I am checking my social media to get more information on current war news. I try to follow only official news pages and share information that is important to me. Also, I try to limit my time seeing the news, because often it is difficult to digest it mentally and I have to live my real life in the here and now. So, using social media is one of the ways for me to stay in touch with people who are important to me in my life.

Looking at the posters from our session together, what do you think about them today?

OA I think it was a great time and a powerful point in my life and my creativity. For me the symbolism of the project was strong, first of all, it is our connection. We worked together, exchanged our talents, experiences, ideas, and finally created sophisticated multilevel, and an energetic work. Not only our posters were important, but the process was even more significant to me. It is a story about friendship, trust, and opening boundaries. Our posters couldn’t be more powerful! Our shared experience had and still has a huge impact on me and my life—such a great memory!

What do you think about the power of posters or graphic design in general to make the world a better place? Utopia?

OA I think it is not a Utopia, if even one person in the world believes that graphic design can make the world better, then it makes sense. For me, designing posters is one of the ways to express your feelings. It is art and it has the power to help—first of all its creator, the author of the creation. The poster can be the channel to say something out loud or, in case you have no words, to describe them. I think, a poster can be a powerful instrument to be honest about your feelings, emotions, your position, and your point of view. It is your voice on paper.

What is the role of the graphic sheet and its message? In times of social media, isn’t it more important to explain connections?

OA In my eyes, the main role of graphic sheets is to tell a story. It can be your personal story or your client’s story that you are trying to tell society in a best visual way. I think visual communication combines different levels but it is always the instrument. I am personally up to the idea of freedom in your self expression and in the stories you tell through design.

How much has your life changed since the war? Do you still work as a designer?

OA Yes, my life has changed completely since the war started. I still work as a graphic designer but most current projects I am working on are more dedicated to the war, safety, and medicine in Ukraine. Also I take care of my health more than ever.

What did your life look like in 2017 when we were in Kyiv, what does it look now and what do you hope for the future?

OA In 2017 my life was different, I just arrived from my scholarship program Gaude Polonia from Warsaw, after half a year living there. It was a very inspiring and growing time for me, time for my huge art and design progress. And when I finally came back to Kyiv we created a super cool project together with Poster REX. It was a new experience in my career. Together we created very powerful and exclusive works of art, I guess. Also as a process, it was exchanging knowledge, energy, ideas, and just a warm and magical time. Now it looks like a part of my history and we still communicate. So, I think it was the start of a good friendship.

Now there is a war in Ukraine and we are living in hard, unstable times. I try to make more of what I love, what I need, and what interests me now. And to not waste my time doing something that doesn’t make sense to me. It is not always easy, but I try to make it real. Try to realize my dreams and my creative potential. The war somehow helps me to understand that there will be no better time to do things I love than now. Of course, I have my plans and dreams about the future and make all I can to reach it. I believe, more than anything, that my best future is now—and to live it as foolishly as I can.