Ukrainian artist Mykola Ridnyi premieres his ambitious Mazepa trilogy, developed in collaboration with John Hansard Gallery since 2022.
This culminating exhibition unveils two new artworks that extend Ridnyi’s exploration of Ivan Mazepa’s contested legacy – a political and military leader of the Zaporozhian Sich and Left-bank Ukraine in the late-17th and early-18th century, whose story has been mythologised throughout European art and literature.
The trilogy began with The Battle Over Mazepa (2023), which reimagined the historic literary clash between English poet Lord Byron (1788–1824) and Russian poet Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837) as a contemporary rap battle. Now reaching its powerful conclusion with two new works: Mazepa’s Ride (2025), a surreal musical fantasy examining gender transformation through non-binary BDSM performers; and Poltava (2025), a multi-channel video installation investigating how the 1709 Battle of Poltava continues to shape Ukrainian identity.
Created against the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Mykola Ridnyi‘s Mazepa trilogy interrogates historical narratives, cultural appropriation, and Ukraine’s continuing struggle for self-determination. Following its Southampton premiere this summer, Mazepa’s Ride will travel to the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw as part of the Kyiv Biennial 2025.
Exhibition supported by The Foundation Foundation, Kyiv Biennial, and the Ribbon Foundation.
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