Art in a Time of War - Schwarzkopf-Europa-Award 2022 Serhij Zhadan reports from the Ukraine 

Like every year the Schwarzkopf-Stiftung awards this year the Schwarkopf-Europa-Award. Selected by the jury of young Europeans, the Schwarzkopf-Europe-Award honors institutions or individuals for special commitment that plays a major role especially for young people in Europe: the commitment to democratic values such as freedom of expression, to peaceful coexistence, to environmental protection and/or the fight against repressive, undemocratic regimes. In 2022, Serhij Zhadan will be awarded because his poetry and his commitment to the jury stand for a vibrant Ukrainian civil society and for the Europe they believe in.

Serhij Zhadan, born in 1974, lives in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and is one of the defining figures of Ukraine’s literary scene. He also performs as a musician, as in the band „Zhadan i Sobaky“ (Zhadan and the Dogs). Zhadan has been politically active for some time, having taken part in the Orange Revolution demonstrations in 2004. In 2014 and 2015, he traveled several times with his band to the Donbass, gave concerts there and delivered aid supplies. In the process, he processed his experiences in literary text form, which were subsequently published in the book „Warum ich nicht im Netz bin. Gedichte und Prosa aus dem Krieg“. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Zhadan has been organizing aid transports to Kharkiv to supply the residents and soldiers. With his band, Zhadan has played concerts for people seeking shelter from Russian attacks in subway stations and tours Europe to raise funds for Ukraine.

Together with you we want to honor Serhij Zhadan, learn more about his current situation in Ukraine and talk about art as a political moment in war and as a form of resistance.

The event will be held in German. We look forward to your participation. Please register by 12.12.2022.