The non-governmental organisation “Museum of Contemporary Art” (MOCA NGO) is a non-profit organisation aimed at creating a new type of professional contemporary art museum institution in Ukraine, serving as a crucial element in the advancement of the art ecosystem. Founded in 2020, the organisation brings together and engages artists, cultural workers, and experts who work with contemporary art in Ukraine.
Following the full-scale aggression of Russia against Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, MOCA NGO structured its priorities in the following directions:
Support and development of the field
Initiated and founded the Ukrainian Emergency Art Fund (UEAF) in collaboration with partners. From March 2022, this direction primarily included the emergency support for artists/cultural workers and later — provided opportunities for the development of the art field during the war through support for important artistic practices, institutions, and special curatorial projects.
Ecosystem projects
Addressing systemic issues, active interaction with other fields.
Museum
Established the Ukrainian Museum of Contemporary Art (UMCA) and announced its inaugural exhibition project “How are you?”.
Within these directions MOCA NGO has been focusing on the projects that are particularly relevant during the days of war and after its end.
MOCA NGO was established in 2020 on the basis of the NGO Dzygamedialab (2015), which has been developing the Open Archive of Ukrainian Media Art and related projects for five years. In 2019 the issue of creating the Museum of Contemporary Art went beyond the purely professional discussion and by the efforts of Minister of Culture Volodymyr Borodianskyi (2019-2020) entered the national agenda. In March 2020, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy selected the scientific concept of the Working group, which has been working at the National Art Museum of Ukraine since 2017, to implement the professional museum institution of contemporary art. Two of the nine participants of that group joined the board of the MOCA NGO, and four joined the self-governing MOCA Expert Councils initiated by the MOCA NGO.
MOCA NGO collaborates with a group of strategic advisors (Advisory board).
The policy regarding cooperation with advisors stipulates that for each of the key directions or projects and programs, a specific composition of advisors is determined, along with their scope of responsibility and duties, and the manner of interaction — which is documented in the corresponding project/program documentation.
The co-founders` interview on the museum creation issues (July 2021).
Chairman of the Board, co-founder of MOCA NGO, co-curator of the Wartime Art Archive.
Ecosystem projects and Development Director, co-founder of MOCA NGO.
Co-founder and head of the Wartime Art Archive platform, strategic advisor on development for MOCA/UMCA. Co-founder of the Ukrainian Emergency Art Fund.
Anastasiia Baklazhko,
UMCA collection manager, researcher and co-curator of the Wartime Art Archive.
Kseniia Samopalova,
Researcher and co-curator of the Wartime Art Archive.
“Prytoka: online collections” Curator
Kateryna Didkovska,
Director of UEAF, manager of educational and memorialization initiatives.
Mariia Klitynska,
Head of Communications.
Daria Budnik,
Communications.
Yulianna Kroshka,
Coordinator.
Oksana Novosilska,
Accounting, financial control and reporting.
Legal support, head of the UALR project.
Psychologist and trauma-informed counselor.
Timothy Kompanchenko,
Expert in the convergence of art, technology, and artificial intelligence.
Media executive and former Minister of Culture of Ukraine(2019–2020).
Andriy Selepey,
Attorney and co-founder of the law firm “Selepey, Volkovetsky and Partners”.
We initiated three expert groups to work on museum of contemporary art issues on the principle of self-governing.
Scientific approach Council — collection principles and policies, exhibitions content, research vectors:
Olena Afanasieva
Olga Balashova (coordinator from MOCA NGO)
Svitlana Biedarieva
Oleksii Bykov
Lizaveta German
Kostiantyn Doroshenko
Zoia Zvyniatskivska
Anatolii Zvizhynskyi
Alevtyna Kakhidze
Tetiana Kochubinska
Mariia Lanko
Anton Lapov
Larion Lozovyy
Nataliia Matsenko
Yevheniia Moliar
Oleksii Radynskyi
Mykhailo Rashkovetskyi
Valerii Sakharuk
Tiberiy Szilvashi
Halyna Skliarenko
Oleksandr Soloviov
Olena Chervonyk
Bohdan Shumylovych
Museum activities Council — processes and protocols in the field of storage, archiving, restoration of works, architectural solutions and exhibitions design, organization of the environment and experience of audiences:
Olga Balashova (coordinator from MOCA NGO)
Svitlana Biedarieva
Oleksii Bykov
Sasha Burlaka
Volodymyr Vysotskyi
Semen Kantor
Yuliia Manukian
Leonid Marushchak
Iryna Miroshnykova
Anton Lapov
Larion Lozovyy
Illya Zabolotnyi
Vladyslav Pioro
Oleksiy Petrov
[Oleksandr Rojtburd]
Olena Chervonyk
Kateryna Chuyeva
Organizational and legal Council — an organizational model that ensures the sustainability of the institution and its compliance with the needs and challenges of the artistic process, the needs of the professional community; legal aspects of the new institution in the conditions of Ukrainian legal framework:
Yevhen Bereznytskyi
Yuliia Hnat (coordinator from MOCA NGO)
Dmytro Holets
Borys Hrynov
Eduard Dymshyts
Kostintyn Doroshenko
Illya Zabolotnyi
Anatolii Zvizhynskyi
Lida Lykhach
Tetiana Loychenko
Nataliia Ivanova
[Oleksandr Rojtburd]
Olia Sahaidak
Mykola Skyba
Rodion Sorokin
Olena Chervonyk
Maryna Shcherbenko
Nataliia Hnatiuk
Olena Zabrodska and Hnat Zabrodskyy
Marta Shchavurska
Ruslan Nonka (2021-02.2022)
Key support:
UNESCO;
The Sigrid Rausing Trust;
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts;
International Renaissance Foundation;
Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine (2022–2024);
The Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine (PFRU) (2024–2025);
Teiger Foundation (2022–2024).
Institutional support and donations from individuals (see our Reports)
© NGO
«MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART»,
2020—2025